The Road To Paradise
by Ni'Rala vas Qwib Qwib
Summary: The story of Mass Effect 2 told through the eyes of Naruto Uzumaki, hero of the Fourth Shinobi World War and Shepard's newest recruit for the assault against the Collectors. NarutoXTali
1. The Secret That Would Shake The Galaxy

The Illusive Man was the most powerful being in the galaxy. A bold claim, which if spoken to any sapient in Citadel Space would be bluntly ignored as the illusions of a paranoid fanatic. But rest assured it was the cold hard truth. The Illusive Man was the only one who knew it, and he planned to keep it that way.

But what made the Illusive Man so strong were not his nonexistent armies or his not-so-immeasurable wealth. You see, power did not come from military might as the Turians had come to believe, nor did it lay in one's financial prowess, or the Volus would be far more than glorified bankers. Power, _true_ power, came from something far more immaterial: information. And for the Illusive Man, information was never in short supply.

Knowledge, networks, communications, blackmail; all were his instruments masterfully manipulated to learn the galaxy's darkest secrets, and twist them to his purposes. In the short period of Cerberus' existence, he'd built an information network so powerful and so discreet that would make the Shadow Broker himself green with envy, if he was ever made aware of its massive scale. But while the two were the greatest information dealers in the galaxy, they were anything but alike. The Illusive Man didn't waste his resources selling his valuable knowledge to the highest bidder. His resources, his precious data, all went into supporting his loyalists in Cerberus. With his vast storage of galactic secrets, the skills of some of the most talented humans in the galaxy, and a few dummy companies on the side, their small organization of 150 operatives had managed to elude Citadel forces for years while they focused on a single goal: the betterment of Humanity throughout the galaxy.

At present the Illusive Man stood at the end of his grand office, staring at nothing in particular as the dying star continued to burn before him. Taking a long drag of his cigarette, he savored the warm smoke as he held it in his lungs before letting it out in a long, powerful breath. He was worried, and for no small reason. It was only through years of practice that he showed no sign of it.

It just didn't make any sense. He could keep his organization away from the arms of the law for decades. He could twist the heads of government to whatever direction he saw fit. He could even bring a man back from the dead! But despite all of these grand accomplishments, something small, something so simple, had slipped past his control. And now things were spiraling into chaos before him. He had little time to correct his mistake. If Cerberus didn't act fast, over a decade's worth of work would be lost in an instant.

A virtual display opened at his side, a single red light flashing at its center. Glancing down, he brought his hand up to close the interface. That signal could only mean one thing: Shepard had completed his assignment. Good, there wasn't a moment to waste.

He didn't bother turning around, but waited until the communication link had been formed before starting, "Shepard, good work on Freedom's Progress. The Quarians have forwarded their findings from Veetor's debriefing. Nothing new, but a surprising olive branch given our history."

The Commander shook his head in disapproval. "It pays to have friends. You ever think about playing nice once in a while?"

"Diplomacy is great when it works, but difficult when everyone already perceives you as a threat."

"A perception well deserved, if the attack on the Idenna has any truth to it. Does it?"

"I'm not here to discuss history with you, Commander. I'm here because we have a common enemy. Because of you, we now know that the Collectors are behind the abduction of the colonists."

"Why do I get the feeling you knew about them already?"

The Illusive Man finally turned to face the Commander, taking strides to reach his chair. "I had my suspicions, but no proof. Even my knowledge of the Collectors is limited, at best. They come from beyond the uncharted Omega 4 Relay, looking to trade technology for seemingly unimportant items, or specimins. Once they've finished their business, they disappear as quickly as they arrived. But this operation is unlike the Collectors. They're not after anything more specific than humans, and any will do. Thousands have disappeared already, and it's up to us to stop them."

The Commander crossed his arms, still skeptical "And you think the Reapers are involved?"

The Illusive Man took his seat before continuing "There are patterns, buried beneath the details. The Reapers are planning something, bigger than the attack on the Citadel two years past. The council likes to believe that the Reaper threat ended with Sovereign; they won't be of any help to us. We're the only ones to stand against them."

"I'm still a Spectre. The council owes me their lives. They'll listen to me."

"If you think you can change their views, by all means. Just remember, it's been two years. Things have changed, Shepard."

The Commander stayed silent for a moment, as if just reminded how bull-headed the council could be. Storing the thought for later, he continued, "If we're taking the fight to the Collectors, I'll need an army…or a really good team."

"I've assembled dossiers on hundreds of potential candidates, ranging from soldiers, scientists, biotics, mercenaries and such. The best in the galaxy are in these files. I'll send them to you for review. Pick the best of them to build your team, Commander."

But Shepard shook his head, "I had a good team, people who have proven their worth to me. I want them at my side, not some mercs for hire."

"Commander, it's been two years. They've moved on. These aren't the same people you fought with against Saren, they've changed. Some have even dropped off the map."

"What about Tali'Zorah? She was on Freedom's Progress, and would've joined me if she wasn't already duty bound. I'm sure the others are still just as loyal."

"Maybe they are, but you may find their current positions beneficial to our goals. It may be difficult to build your team from scratch, but you're a natural leader. I trust you're up for the challenge."

The look on Shepard's face showed he clearly wasn't keen on the idea, but was willing to shelve the issue for later. "Fine, you worry about the Collectors. I'll make sure my team is ready."

The Illusive Man brought up a display beside him, quickly shuffling through the list of dossiers. "Before you begin, I'd like you to take care of a little problem for me. Nothing outside of your capabilities, I'm sure."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Another errand?"

"Of sorts. There's been an information leak, and the Shadow Broker is aware of one of our best kept secrets. I have some of the best hackers in Cerberus looking to delete every trace of the files from the Shadow Broker's database, but that doesn't help the team he's sent to investigate. Eliminate them, and we'll have removed all traces of the files from record."

"And what exactly is in this file?"

"Coordinates for one of your potential recruits, but more importantly the location of a planet Cerberus has been protecting for over a decade."

"And what makes this world so special?"

The Illusive Man took a long draw from his cigarette, preparing to share Cerberus' most precious secret. "It's inhabited by humans."

Shepard looked skeptical. "There are plenty of human colonies. Why keep this one hidden?"

"Not a colony." The Illusive Man began, "A homeworld. Humans have dwelled there since before recorded history."

There was a long silence as Commander Shepard processed exactly what the Illusive Man has just revealed. Finally, with less poise than he usually possessed, he said "What are you talking about?"

"Exactly as I said, impossible as it may appear. Humans, nearly genetically identical to us, on an alien world."

"Two species don't just separately evolve into the same being. What aren't you telling me?"

"Not enough, but we don't have time for a history lesson. There are too few genetic mutations between us to consider us two different species, but what little variation exists separates us beyond measure. Our brethren have evolved into natural biotics; you wouldn't believe what miracles these people are capable of."

Shepard rubbed his forehead, having a hard time taking in this revelation. "It's a bit of a stretch to believe this…"

"You'll see it with your own two eyes, if you hurry." The Illusive Man pressed a button, and a moment later Shepard's Omni-tool flared to life. Tapping a few keys, the dossier the Illusive Man just sent him popped up from the omni-tool. The headline caught Shepard's attention the moment it appeared.

"The War Hero?" he asked.

"Correct. Despite his youth, his accomplishments speak for themselves."

Shepard shifted his gaze back to the dossier, scanning the biography for a few moments before saving the data to his omni-tool. "You said we were in a hurry?"

"We don't have time to waste, Shepard. Agents of the Shadow Broker are aware of our interest in the young man. Even as we speak, our friend is walking into a trap. If you don't reach him in time, you'll have lost a valuable recruit."

"If he isn't good enough to outwit a few hired guns, what use is he to me?"

"He has no idea what he's getting into. Technology on his homeworld is no more advanced than ours was at the end of the second World War, and due to a heavy focus on biotic power, their weapons technology predates even that. Firearms are nonexistent, and their knives won't penetrate military-grade battle armor. The man will be a pin cushion before he knows what hit him…unless they want him alive."

"And if he is?"

"Then I leave that decision up to you. Recruit him or leave him, the choice is yours. Just make sure that the Shadow Broker never hears from those agents again."

Shepard nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Okay, so how am I supposed to get there? The shuttle isn't built for speed."

"Already taken care of. I've acquired reliable transportation for your convenience. And I've found you a pilot as well. I hear he's one of the best…someone you can trust."

Shepard was about to ask him to elaborate further, when a third voice made its way over the communications link.

"Hey Commander, just like old times huh?"

The Illusive Man brought up a console on the arm of his chair and terminated the connection. Taking a final draw from his cigarette, he placed the remains in the chair's ashtray as he stood, making his way back to the end of the office to stare into the nothingness of space once more.

It was an impossible task, erasing all shreds of the planet's existence from the galaxy's most powerful information broker. But like Shepard, Cerberus wasn't unfamiliar with doing the impossible. He would make sure that the planet vanished from all records and keep it hidden from the galaxy at large. That lone world hidden from the rest of galactic civilization, the last purely human world in existence, would remain protected so long as he could help it.

* * *

><p>A young man in a long white body coat strolled down an elaborate hallway in the dead of night, his footsteps so light the very floor would be unaware of his presence, let alone anyone that might be a threat. But with each empty room he checked, and with every sign of living all but gone, a single thought kept crawling into his mind.<p>

Something was very, very wrong.

The mission was supposed to be a simple capture mission, in and out before anyone noticed. Their target was some crime lord known for smuggling knowledge of secret Jutsus for whoever could pay the price. Any hint of a breach in security, especially regarding hidden Jutsus, was never taken lightly, and the ANBU had been on the case less than an hour after the news hit the Hokage's desk. Over a month-long investigation, they'd finally tracked down their headquarters after sending in a false request to acquire one of their village's forbidden techniques. And so the ANBU Captain had taken his squad to find the crime lord's estate, hidden deep within the forests of Fire Country.

But now here he was, and the place was dead. He'd cased the entire left wing of the mansion, and so far no signs of life. No mercenaries or hired hands, no servants, business associates, or any of the various company you'd expect to find in a criminal estate. It seemed as if the dust mites were the only company they'd be having this evening.

Reaching behind his fox-shaped mask, the Captain tapped the radio planted into his ear, breaking radio silence. "There's no one here. It's possible they caught a leak about our operation. It may explain why they left in such a hurry."

A moment later a second voice responded. "West wing is clear. Nothing else to report."

"Copy that. Mouse, anything?"

"Basement is clear, no signs of life. Plenty of evidence, though. Clan Jutsus, Forbidden seals, and a list of potential buyers. We hit the jackpot, Captain."

"And all that was just out there in the open?" The asked skeptically.

"Of course not. Encrypted files, sealed behind ten inches of reinforced steel. But you know me."

"Good work. Rabbit, anything in the central chambers?"

He waited several moments for a reply, but there was no response. So he tried again, "Rabbit, break radio silence. Do you have something?"

Anything would do, even a sharp whisper through his earpiece would be enough to signal that he'd found something and couldn't risk conversation. But to receive nothing was one of the worst signs a Captain could receive. Best case scenario, his headset was down and he wasn't aware of it. Worst case, the enemy wasn't as gone as he'd thought, and Rabbit was down. And if they'd received no warning, then Rabbit had been killed faster than he could report an attack. And that meant that Rabbit's radio may still be operational. And if the enemy found it, then their communications were compromised, and everything, including what they'd just said, was open to enemy ears.

Acting fast, he clicked the radio several times, sending a wordless message with the clicking of the radio: compromised, converge Rabbit. Even before the message was out he was making his way as quickly as he could to the central chambers. He flew through the hallways as quickly as he could, coming to the central staircase. Climbing the stairs with practiced silent speed, he registered Mouse waiting by the door, with Tiger approaching on his left.

The Captain made his way to the doorway, signaling for Mouse to do the same. "Tiger, do you sense anything on the other side?"

Tiger brought his hands together and flipped through a few seals, remaining motionless as the jutsu took effect. After a moment of silent sensing, he began, "I sense no active Chakra networks, but there are traces…I don't think anyone's alive."

Mouse nodded, lowering his hood and placing his ear next to the door. "Can't hear anything…not even any vibrations. We're clear."

The fox-masked Captain nodded. "Alright, keep together. On my mark."

The two nodded and took their places on either side of the massive oak doors leading into the central chambers. Both had a hand on their ANBU sword, ready to draw at the smallest provocation. Both giving a small nod to confirm their readiness, the Captain approached the center of the doors, turning the handles and shoving them open while rushing into the room, flanked by his teammates not far behind. The three didn't make it far past the entrance.

Right at their feet laid the body of their fourth squadmate spread eagle on the floor, a fresh puncture wound through his heart answering their questions as to how Rabbit had met his end. Further in, bodies were piled high on either side of the desk at the end of the room, their blood collecting into two separate pools on the floor. Each pile was made up of over a dozen corpses, each with various puncture wounds covering their bodies, trails of dried blood creeping from the wounds. Between the two piles, behind the desk in the chair sat the body of their target. His head was rolled back against the headrest, as single puncture wound the only visible sign of how the man met his end.

The Captain let his gaze linger on their deceased target for a moment longer before shifting his gaze back to his fallen comrade. Rabbit was quick, and he wouldn't have been caught off guard. Whatever killed him did it fast and clean, without warning. And for all he knew, they could still be here.

Turning to leave, he said "We need to leave, now. We'll burn the mansion down. That should get rid of the bodies and our secrets."

Mouse seemed to disagree. "Captain, what about the-"

The sound of shattered glass brought the Captain to full alert as he spun around. Shards once forming an ornate stained glass window above the room rained down onto the ground as the two ANBU beside him fell to the ground. Tiger's mask was in pieces before he even hit the floor, a hole identical to the crime lord's now marring his otherwise unblemished face. Mouse fell a moment after, his coat sliding open to reveal a puncture right next to his heart.

For a moment the Captain stood still, fully expecting to meet a similar fate. But the moment passed, and then another, and finally the Captain could breathe, looking down at his men. Tiger lay dead, and probably was before he even hit the ground. But Mouse was still moving, if only a little.

Leaping to his fallen comrades' side, he knelt beside Mouse. "Stay still, we're getting out of here!"

Mouse slowly tilted his head to meet the fox-masked man. "Captain…behi-"

A loud crack filled the air. Mouse's head whipped back as the force of the round passed through his head. Before the Captain could turn to face his aggressor, he felt something hard and hot press against the small of his back.

"On your feet, and keep those fancy knives to yourself."

The voice was heavily warped, he noted, like it was somehow being manipulated, or utterly unnatural. Slowly lowering Mouse's body to the ground, he brought himself to his feet without a fight, so as not to give his aggressor any reason to attack. Once he was on his feet, he felt the hot metal removed from the back of his coat, and heard the attacker step away. "Good, now turn around." He complied.

Before him stood a man covered from head to toe in sophisticated white body armor, far more advanced than even the top of the line Samurai Armor in the Land of Iron. To the young Shinobi, he looked more like a machine than a man.

"And just in case you get any funny ideas…" He began, before snapping his gloved fingers. Around them a dozen blue shrouds distorted the air, the signs of cloaking fields being disengaged. The newly revealed squad raised their odd metal weapons as they closed in on their captive, who suddenly lost all ideas of escape.

"Take that mask off. And that hood, now." He ordered.

Seeing no alternative, the young captain slowly lowered his hood and unstrapped his fox mask, placing it gently on the floor. The man who now looked at his captors was a blonde haired, blue eyed young man, an intense scowl gracing his usually peaceful features.

The leader of the enemy squad nodded, reaching to remove his helmet. With a quick hiss, the man tossed his helmet aside. It was that moment when the blonde's two eyes met his four that made the entire trip worth it. The look on a primitive species' face during first contact was priceless.

"Captain Naruto Uzumaki…you're shorter than I expected."

* * *

><p>Any feedback you could give would be welcome. :)<p> 


	2. Dossier: The War Hero

The endless forests of Fire Country were truly a sight to behold, even when passing them by at over 500 Kilometers per hour.

Shepard eyed the garden world from the cockpit as Miranda manned the helm, keeping them as close to the tree line as possible to avoid radar detection. He remembered looking at historical photographs in his old history textbooks; pictures of how earth used to look before major human industrialization began. Enormous forests with trees that touched the sky used to be a common sight in earth's history. But now those trees were traded for tall man-made towers that rose to the heavens themselves. This world looked almost untouched by man, so wild and untamed. There were no signs of human development or resource mining; everything was completely under the control of Mother Nature for as far as the eye could see.

The door behind the pair hissed as it slid into the side, allowing Jacob to pop his head into the cockpit. "Commander, we have a problem. EDI just sent us the thermal scan of the mansion; it's under Shadow Broker control."

Shepard turned away from the forest to the Cerberus operative. "What are their numbers? Can we take them out with onboard weaponry?"

"Negative, Commander. This ship is built for stealth and speed, not combat. And even if we could, I wouldn't suggest it."

"Why not?"

"If the reports are correct, there are sixteen heat signatures, but only fifteen of them appear to be patrolling. The last hasn't made any signs of motion since her scanning began. I'm guessing that's our target."

"So he's been captured. And here I was thinking this would be simple." Shepard muttered as he opened his omni-tool.

Miranda scowled, tightening her grip on the controls. "It still can be. We just have to forget about recruiting him."

"What do you mean, Miranda?" Jacob asked.

"I mean we'll have to blow the base, target and all. It's too risky to attempt a rescue."

"Have you lost your mind? The Illusive Man himself wants him on the team!"

"His recruitment is secondary to our survival. We have hundreds of potential recruits, I'm sure one of them will make a worthy replacement."

"But we-"

"Can it, both of you!" Shepard cut them off as his omni-tool deactivated. "In case you've forgotten, neither of you are in charge of this mission, I am. And I didn't fly halfway across the galaxy to blow our war hero sky high."

Miranda turned, eying her superior with a look of concern. "Shepard, are you suggesting we take on five-to-one odds against a squad of the Shadow Broker's top agents, all heavily armed, for one little kid?"

Shepard shot her a cocky smirk. "When you say it like that, it does seem pretty crazy."

"I didn't spend two years bringing you back just for you to go suicidal." She shot back.

"This whole damn mission is suicide, but that hasn't stopped me before." He countered, fixing her with a cool stare. "If we're serious about taking the fight to the Collectors, I need the best men and women in the galaxy for my team. I won't abandon the top recruits for second best out of convenience. No matter the hurdles, no matter how many mercs the galaxy throws at us along the way, we **will **build this team, and we're building it my way."

Shepard shifted out of his seat, lacing his hands behind his back as he stared at his squadmates. "Now what about you? Are you fit to serve on my team? If odds like these are too much for you, then don't waste my time. I don't need anyone on my team who isn't ready to give it their all. If that's asking too much, then stand aside. I don't have time to waste on your petty concerns."

Jacob was the first to respond, "I'm with you, Commander. No doubt." He answered strongly and without hesitation.

Shepard gave Jacob a satisfied nod before turning to Miranda, who was still staring at him icily. Miranda was making no effort to hide her disagreement with the Commander's philosophy. But that way of thinking was the very reason she'd invested two years of her life in Project Lazarus. She wasn't about to waste all that effort just to get left by the wayside. With a brief sigh, she resigned herself, "Understood. Plotting new route to the objective."

Shepard's lips curled into a satisfied grin as he nodded to the pair, shifting his gaze back towards the forests. "Good to hear. Now gear up, it's time to show these bastards we mean business."

* * *

><p>Two hours later, Shepard found himself rushing through the thick forest on his way to the mansion. He'd had Miranda drop him off two miles out of their scanning range so that he could approach on foot, allowing his two squadmates to get into position. He couldn't make his final approach until his squadmates jammed their scanners, and then he'd have limited time to make contact with their recruit. It all came down to timing, and he couldn't afford to miss his mark by a second.<p>

Quickening his pace, it wasn't much longer before he caught sight of the mansion: an enormous grey structure over four stories tall settled nicely in a large clearing. Moving to the edge of the clearing while taking cover behind and aged oak, he placed his finger next to his ear and opened a comm channel. "Miranda, Jacob, I'm in position."

"_We found a small clearing not far from the mansion to land. We're prepared to disrupt scanners whenever you give the order, Commander."_ Miranda replied over the channel.

"Do it, then take cover outside the clearing and wait for my orders. If anyone decides to investigate too close to your position, take care of them quietly. I'm heading in to meet our recruit."

"_Confirmed, Commander. Standing by._"

Shepard cut the channel with Miranda and peeked around the corner. There were two guards stationed at the front of the mansion, probably just sentries. Which meant that the bulk of their forces were inside the house. Peeking a little higher, his eyes fell on the third floor window of the west wing. According to EDI's scans, their person inside that room was most likely their target.

Thinking fast, Shepard took note of the extensive vine growth covering the side of the building. He was never the most acrobatic member of the Alliance, but a little climb was well within his abilities. Leaping out from his cover, he sprinted towards the side of the building before the sentries could spot him. Not wasting any time, he grabbed hold of the vines and began to climb. Luckily the vines were ancient and thick, just strong enough to hold his weight plus the weight of all his equipment. As quietly as he could he continued his way up, passing the second floor before approaching the third floor window. Just as he was about to reach the ledge, the window shutters burst open and a hand lashed out, grabbing the back of his armor and yanking him up and into the building. The second Shepard felt a hand on him he was reaching for his pistol, and as soon as he was brought through the window he had his gun pointed straight at the man's face. His grinning, giddy face.

"Geez, Shepard. You're heavier than you look!" The blonde chuckled as he released his grip on the commander, now safely inside the room, before eyeing the hand cannon pointed right between his eyes. "Hey, whoa! Let's be friendly, I was trying to help!"

Shepard's gaze softened as he recognized the blonde from his dossier. Wild blonde hair, sky-blue eyes, and a childish grin that just promised mischief; there was no mistaking it. "Naruto Uzumaki, the War Hero?" He spoke calmly as he lowered his weapon.

Naruto ignored Shepard's question, instead focusing on the weapon until it was safely at Shepard's side before answering, "That's me, but how do you know my name?"

"You first." Shepard replied.

"First thing they asked me after they took away my weapons. Showed me your picture and asked 'Where's Shepard? Do you know Shepard?' and all that. Didn't know what the hell these guys were talking about. Next thing I knew, they sealed this room and locked me inside. I've overheard them talking the past few days. It seemed like they were expecting you and you definitely weren't their friend, so I stuck around waiting for you to arrive." The blonde explained before shooting an accusing stare at the former Spectre. "Now why don't you tell me why my team is dead? Why were they after me?"

Shepard paused before speaking, realizing he had a lot of explaining to do. "It's a complicated situation, and I don't have time for the full story."

"Then give me the abridged version. Start with old four-eyes in that fancy armor."

"Four-eyes? You must mean a Batarian." Naruto raised a confused eyebrow at Shepard's explanation, silently asking him to elaborate. "An alien species with a nasty reputation. One that's been well earned."

Naruto gave the Commander a disbelieving chuckle "Aliens? Is that the best you could come up with? You should've called it a bloodline limit, much more believable." Naruto chided.

Shepard raised an eyebrow, "Bloodline limit?"

Sensing the Commander's ignorance on the subject, the blonde waved his hand. "Nevermind. So, you're telling me that there's an entire race of those things out there?"

"Not just Batarians. The galaxy is home to a number of different species. Some aren't so different from us, and other look more like wild animals than sentients." Shepard explained quickly.

Naruto walked over to the window and leaned on the sill, staring out the window with a contemplative look. Taking a minute to let the idea of a whole galaxy of life sink in a bit, the blond lifted his bright blue eyes to the starry sky as a smile played on his lips. "The whole galaxy…that's pretty hard to believe."

Shepard gave a small grunt to confirm as he turned to join him. "I suppose, but you seem to be taking it pretty well."

"Please." Naruto chuckled as he turned to look the commander in the eye. "Look what I've been dealing with for the past few days. I'm not saying I'll believe you, but I'll go with it for now, more fun that way. I'm sure there'll be time for proof later." Naruto crossed his arms in front of himself as he gave the commander a small smile. "Just be straight with me, alright? My gut's got a good feeling about you, and it usually gets me results."

"Well then this won't be an exception." Shepard nodded as the young man shot him a friendly grin. "Do you want to know why these agents are targeting you?"

"Something to do with you." He replied matter-of-factly.

"Unfortunately." Shepard stated, ignoring the blonde's confusion as he continued. "This planet is hidden from the rest of the galaxy, but humans from my home planet, Earth, have joined galactic society and have colonized dozens of alien worlds. But for two years, entire colonies of humans have been disappearing. They're being abducted, and no one is lifting a finger to stop it. The Galactic Council, the Alliance, protector of humanity, everyone is turning a blind eye to those people. Everyone except us."

A lot of this went right over Naruto's head, and he made no attempt to hide it. It was all too new for him to understand everything, but the gist of it was understood. "It doesn't sound like a simple assignment. How do you plan to stop them?" He said, motioning for the Commander to continue.

"Working with a group called Cerberus. Their reputation is worse than the Batarians, but they're the only ones willing to fight. I've found out a race called the Collectors are behind the abductions, but I can't stop them alone. I'm building a team of the best specialists in the galaxy to fight the Collectors."

The ANBU captain leaned off the wall and began to stroll around the room. "So you want me? This doesn't sound like something I'll come back from if I sign up."

"I'm taking on an entire species, and the odds aren't great. That's why I need the best. Nothing less will do."

Naruto eyed the commander tentatively. "I may not always be the brightest star in the sky, but even I know that's beyond every kind of crazy." He said before his lips curled into a slight grin, "But it's been a while since I've done anything worthwhile. I won't turn my back on all those people."

Naruto stopped his pacing and made his way over to the commander, "Let me help you fight the Collectors, Commander. I'll do whatever it takes!"

The ANBU captain extended his hand, which the Commander reached out to clasp. With a single shake, they affirmed their allegiance. Naruto was now a part of the team.

"Good to have you on board, Uzumaki. Now let's finish up here and get back to our ship."

"Hold up." Naruto began, signaling to the door behind him. "Those bastards killed my squad, and left me as bait to lure you in. No way in hell I'm letting them get away with that!"

"Already taken care of." Shepard stated as he reached behind his back, releasing a few clips before pulling out a small round tube, no larger than an average Shinobi scroll. "You know about bombs, right War Hero?"

Shrugging, he replied, "Just a bit. They make a big **boom**, right?" He asked, spreading his arms for a bit of emphasis.

"I guess that's all you really need to know." Shepard said as he placed the bomb underneath a nearby chair. "If we plant this in the center of the mansion, the explosion should be enough to destroy any trace of this place.

Naruto eyed the little device in slight disbelief, unable to believe anything so tiny could level an entire building like this. The thing wasn't any larger than the average sealing scroll. Then again he thought, he was going along with the story of alien life and galactic civilization. Was this really a stretch compared to all that?

"Good enough for me. I know the perfect place, it's just one floor down."

"The door's barricaded, how do you plan on getting through?"

Naruto shook his head. "That isn't the problem. I could break that door down in a second, but it won't be quiet. After how quickly they took out my teammates I don't want to bring them down on us all at once."

Shepard brought his hand to his chin in a thinking pose, taking a minute to gather his thoughts before speaking. "So if we can distract the guards, you can break through the barricade?"

"Yeah, do you have anything in mind?

"I brought two of my crew along, Miranda Lawson and Jacob Taylor. They're just outside the clearing, preparing a small ambush. They should keep their attention long enough for us to plant the bomb and escape."

"Ah," Naruto stated, slightly humbled by the Commander. "How long do we have?"

Shepard brought up his omni-tool, which promptly startled the blonde as the orange device flashed to life on the man's arm. "They'll open fire in three minutes."

Naruto blinked as Shepard deactivated his omni-tool, signing. All of these surprises were starting to give him a headache. "I'll get ready."

Shepard stared at the young Captain as he dropped to the floor, sat cross-legged and joined his fists, closing his eyes. The blonde ceased all excess movements, looking more like an ornamental doll than a warrior. "Uh…what are you doing?"

"Preparing, now stop bothering me." The blonde said much too calmly for how he'd been acting before, not even opening his eyes.

"Er, okay." Shepard affirmed as he stepped back, still eyeing the blonde at his choice of preparation. He was familiar with the concept of meditation before a battle. Several of the Marines he'd served with had used it to calm their nerves and keep their minds clear and focused before a fight. Personally, he'd never found much value in the practice. He preferred letting his mind focus on the coming task, letting the adrenaline build up in his body to keep him prepared to react at a moment's notice. But the blonde's form wasn't like anything he'd ever seen. There was no deep breathing, no easing of tension. In fact, it was almost as if the blonde had stopped functioning entirely. He didn't flinch, he hardly breathed; it was almost as if he'd been turned to stone.

The Commander turned a few seconds later as a pair of mass accelerator pistols echoed throughout the clearing, joined shortly after by half a dozen more. Shepard reached to his side and pulled out his Carnifex. "Uzumaki, you ready?"

In an instant the blonde's eyes snapped open, revealing yellow toad-like eyes. "Leave it to me." He announced as he stood. Walking up to the wall, he placed his ear against the wood beside the barricaded door. After focusing for a moment, he nodded, before doing the same at the other side of the door. "There were two guards, but there's only one now. Guess your distraction really worked." He said, turning to the Commander. He felt his body tense at the confused stare the Commander was giving him, before giving an understanding smirk. "The eyes?"

Shepard nodded, crossing his arms as he fixed the blonde with an accusing glare. "I'll take this as payback for all the surprises I've been giving you. Now explain."

Naruto brought his finger to his eye as he began to speak. "Whenever my eyes are like this, I've entered Sage Mode. When in Sage Mode, I've gathered Chakra from the environment around me to enhance my own."

"Uh-huh…" Shepard eyed the young man with some amusement, not even trying to fake understanding what all this meant. "I'll get the details later. Just tell me what you can do."

"Why don't I show you?" The blonde said with a wicked grin, before cocking his fist and ramming it through the wall. Grabbing the Shadow Broker Agent by the back of his armor, he dragged the body through the wall, splintering it as he slammed the agent into the floor. Before the agent could recover, Naruto swept the agent up by the throat, lifting him off the ground, before winding up his arm once more and delivering a punch so powerful that it sent the agent clear across the room and into the wall. There was a loud snap as the agent splintered the wood, before falling limp onto the floor below.

Naruto clapped his hands free of dirt as the Commander stared at the agent, then at hole in the wall. This kind of destruction would make a Krogan green with envy. "I…see. Remind me never to challenge you to an arm wrestling contest."

"I wouldn't want to be responsible for the damages anyway." Naruto shot back before gesturing to the hole. "Come on, let's hurry."

"Agreed."

* * *

><p>Shepard stared in disgust at the sight before him. He'd heard stories of the terrors committed by agents of the Shadow Broker, all told in hushed whispers as if someone just outside of earshot was the broker himself. Stories of entire family lines vanishing into the fabric of history without a trace, or of men taken in the darkest hour of night only to return a week later a broken shell, devoid of any will to live. But not once had he seen firsthand the brutality of these faceless soldiers. But now he stood before it all, and those stories had become hard fact. Bodies clearly executed in cold blood, tossed into piles at their convenience and left to rot. Shepard felt like throwing up as the smell of death lingered heavily in the air. It was a massacre, inhuman and unjust.<p>

Shepard turned to his newest recruit, who was kneeling next to three fallen Shinobi with black cloaks, each now arranged with their eyes closed and their hands folded across their chests clutching their headbands. He sat next to his comrades in silence, taking in their features for the last time. The blonde's pleasant mood had all but vanished when he caught sight of his soldiers. Without a word the young Captain had left Shepard to set his men to rest. Shepard watched the blonde in silence, unsure if the contribution of an outsider would be welcomed. So instead the Commander chose to set the bomb in the center of the room, leaving the ANBU Captain to his ritual. After a minute of silence, the ANBU Captain stood over his men, his head still downcast.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this. No one was supposed to die." Naruto lamented as he walked over to his discarded mask and sword. "Tiger was a sensor; he was sure the room was empty. ANBU don't make mistakes like that."

"It happens to everyone, even the best of us." Shepard said as he finished punching in the activation code. His task finished, he stood to face the mourning Shinobi.

"That's not what happened." Naruto shook his head. "Tiger was a master sensor. He could sense an enemy's Chakra up to a mile away. There were over a dozen of those guys waiting to ambush us in this room; you don't just miss that."

"Then what happened?" Shepard asked.

"I got stupid." Naruto breathed, feeling his body tense with his words. "In Sage Mode, I can sense Chakra just like Tiger. Chakra is needed for life in everything that breathes. It's in the air, the ground, the plants, and the people. But it isn't in you, or any of those armored agents." Naruto took a breath as he began to pace around the room, unable to stay still.

"You can't cloak Chakra, not completely." Shepard watched as the young man continued to ramble, trying to make sense of everything. "I'm guessing you have no idea what I'm talking about."

Shepard shook his head, confirming Naruto's fears. "I thought so. You're aliens; you don't use Chakra. You don't generate it, and you don't need it to live. We went into this room thinking that if there were no Chakra signatures, there was no one alive inside, or anywhere near the mansion. We walked right into their hands with our guards down, on my order." Naruto stated, turning to the three fallen ANBU at his side. "And they paid the price for it."

Naruto looked like he was about to go to his comrades again, but Shepard quickly put a hand on the young man's shoulder, stopping him. "I know how you're feeling, but their deaths aren't your fault. You did everything you could."

"I know." Naruto breathed harshly, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "I've been Captain of this team for the last two years. We've done more for our village than most will ever know, but they will be remembered as heroes, just like all other fallen Konoha Shinobi," He said, before adding "even if it's only by me."

"Rule 25 of the Shinobi Code of Conduct: A ninja must never show their emotions, nor let them compromise their actions." He paraphrased as a sad smile slowly spread across his face against his will. "I always sucked at that one."

The two snapped out of their stupor as a trio of high caliber mass accelerator shots echoed through the mansion, causing each of the two men to instinctively reach for a weapon. "Those were Mantis shots." Shepard judged from the sound of the shots as his Avenger unfolded in his grip.

Naruto's eyed went wide as realization dawned on him. "Those are the sounds I heard when my teammates were killed." He said, reliving the moment when those sounds last echoed through these halls as they signaled the end of teammates' lives.

"_Commander! Shepard, come in!"_

Shepard lowered his rifle and brought his hand to his ear, activating his comm device. "Miranda, we heard snipers on the rooftop. Are you alright?"

"_Negative, they got Jacob. He's unconscious, and needs medical attention."_

Shepard closed his eyes as he held back a curse. "Roger that. Can you get him to the shuttle?"

"_Not likely. We're behind a tree near the clearing, and those snipers will tear us apart if we leave. It looks like the remaining guards are regrouping to flush us out. You need to take care of those snipers before we can get you out of there!"_

"Copy that. Stay there and don't get yourselves killed! I'll take out those snipers, wait for my signal until then."

"_Understood, Commander. Miranda out."_

Naruto watched as Shepard finished relaying instructions to his team, feeling his adrenaline begin to rush at the thought of finally taking the fight to these bastards. The Commander cut communications before giving the blonde his attention. "Those snipers up top have my squad pinned down. They need us to take care of them before they can pick us up. You ready?"

Giving a curt nod, Naruto followed Shepard as he ran out of the room.

* * *

><p>Shepard and Naruto crouched quietly made their way up the ladder leading to the roof. After opening the latch, the pain quickly leapt up and crouched behind a nearby crate near the edge of the roof. Shepard motioned for Naruto to keep his head down as he peeked over the crates. On the other edge of the roof were the three snipers, each kneeling with their rifles pointed downrange at the clearing, just waiting for the slightest hint of a Cerberus uniform. Raining down additional fire on his squadmates was a pair of Shadow Broker Troopers, each armed with a Vindicator.<p>

Glancing beside him, he sized up his newest companion. While the blonde showed incredible strength with his Sage Mode, he'd only be able to use it if he got in close, but his lack of a kinetic barrier meant that a single shot could prove fatal.

"Nothing's ever easy…" Shepard muttered to himself as he gripped his trusty Avenger.

Naruto watched as Shepard took another glance over cover. "Got anything in mind?"

"Not just anything." Shepard stated as he reached pulled out a pair of frag grenades. He doubted it'd take care of all of them, but with luck it would stun them long enough for him to finish them off. "Just stay down and don't draw attention."

Naruto frowned. "You want me to sit here and hide?" Naruto asked, as if Shepard should know that just wasn't going to happen.

"You don't have shields. If they get even one hit on you, they'll take you out."

Naruto stroked his chin as he analyzed everything he'd seen about those weapons. "Maybe, but all I've gotta do is keep them from pointing at me and they can't hurt me, right?"

"You're not taking that chance. Stand down and let me take them out from here." Shepard ordered.

Naruto grinned. "I've got a better idea. Wait here and cover my back when I make my move." He finished, and before Shepard could stop him the blonde broke from cover and leapt over the side of the roof.

"Damn it!" Shepard cursed to himself as he eyed his grenades, before placing them back on his armor's belt. When Shepard had read his title as War Hero on the dossier, he'd been expecting an elite soldier, someone he could rely on to follow his orders and get the job done. Instead, this brat reminded him of a green recruit, all too eager to prove himself in battle. Now it looked like that idiot was going to get himself killed before they were even off-planet! If he did, that meant that all their rescue efforts were all in vain, and Jacob had gotten shot for nothing.

"_Shepard, ground forces are moving in. We can't stay here much longer."_ Miranda announced.

Shepard kept his voice low as he responded. "Hang in there, we're right on top of them. You'll be clear to move in a minute."

"_I don't know if we have a minute, Shepard. Jacob's lost a lot of blood…I'm not sure if he's going to make it."_

Shepard paused as he reassessed the situation. The snipers were still looking for a shot; Uzumaki hadn't made his move yet. If something didn't happen soon, he'd be forced to take action alone. "Don't do anything risky! I'll take care-"

Shepard cut himself off as he watched the blonde fly leapt up from behind the other end of the roof, landing behind the sniper with his sword drawn. Focusing a sharp layer of Wind Chakra along the blade, the ANBU Captain plunged the sword into the surprised agent before he'd even turned around, breaching both his kinetic barrier and armor in one practiced stroke.

Shepard watched as the remaining four agents on the roof turned their attention to the blonde, seeing this as his chance. "You're clear, go!" Shepard ordered Miranda as he watched one of the Troopers begin to glow blue with biotic power. Acting quickly, Shepard emerged from cover and opened fire on the unaware soldier, dropping him and his shields before he'd known what hit him.

Naruto quickly withdrew his short blade and focused in on the next sniper, who was already lining him up in his sights. Acting quickly the blonde reached for a pair of shuriken and threw them at the agent's rifle, knocking it and its shot off course. Charging at the sniper, he snatched the rifle out of his hands and smashed the butt of the rifle against his face, before winding up and smashing it across his head like a club. With two snipers dealt with, he focused on the third, but too late. The last sniper already had his shot lined up and pulled the trigger. The round zoomed through the air faster than even Naruto's well trained eyes could see, passing right through his chest. The force of the blow sent the blonde flying back, and for a second the sniper thought he'd delivered the fatal blow.

That is, until the body burst into smoke.

The sniper paused, forgetting to reload his rifle as he stared. When the smoke cleared, the body was nowhere in sight. Shifting his gaze from side to side, he found no evidence that the blonde had even existed other than the corpses of his two companions. At he continued to look, he began hearing a strange energy from behind him, quickly growing louder. As he turned, he found himself face to face with the same blonde he'd just shot, eyes filled with focused rage. Just as the sniper had fully turned, the blonde raised his palm, containing a blue sphere spiraling with Chakra, and slammed it into his chest, shouting "Rasengan!" The raging Chakra ripped right through his shields and tore his armor to pieces, before sending the sniper spinning across the rooftops, finally stopping as he hit the crates which burst at the impact. His body slumped into the piles of rations contained in the crates. It did not move again.

Shepard finished tearing down the shields of the last Trooper before firing a well-aimed burst at his head, dropping the last of their opposition. As soon as he was down, Shepard ran to the edge of the roof, only to pull back when the remaining Troopers began shooting up at him. "Well, that got their attention." He said lamely, quickly running back to the hatch they'd entered through and moving a crate over it, barricading the only way up. At least with all the focus on getting to them, Miranda would be clear. After finishing, he opened up his comm channel. "Miranda, it's Shepard. Hostiles on the roof are neutralized, and all remaining ground forces are focused on us. Bring the shuttle to the roof for evac."

"_Roger Commander, we're almost at the shuttle. Jacob needs emergency first aid, but I'll be with you as soon as he's stabilized."_

"Understood, keeping him alive is priority, we'll handle ourselves until then. Shepard out." Shepard cut the channel, before making his way over to his new recruit. "What the hell was that?"

Naruto turned to the Commander, grinning like an idiot. "That, Shepard, was an ass kicking!" Naruto announced as he laced his fingers behind his head, looking pleased with himself.

Shepard shook his head, while that had been on his mind that isn't the answer he wanted. "Not that, you disobeyed my orders. I told you to stay in cover and not get shot."

Naruto's grin faltered. "Well technically it wasn't me, it was my shadow clone. The Shadow Clone Jutsu lets me make physical copies of myself that can act independently. Pretty neat, huh?"

Shepard scowled slightly, getting frustrated. "I'll ask you one more time: why did you disobey my orders?" he said in a tone that just dared Naruto to dodge the question again.

Naruto faltered under the Commander's intense stare, before shooting back "I was thinking on my feet, you didn't know what I can do. I think that's a quality to be admired in a soldier."

"It is," Shepard began, "but I don't want to hear that as an excuse to ignore my command. I don't need a maverick, I need a functioning team. Just one soldier going rogue could jeopardize my entire squad. I won't have someone on my team questioning my command." He paused, "You're a squad Captain, you should know how important unity is to a good team."

Naruto took a moment to process exactly what Shepard had said. Thinking back to his past two years of leading his ANBU team, he sighed. "You're right." He admitted, both to Shepard and to himself. "I guess I just wanted to be the one to take out those sniper bastards. For my team." He added as an afterthought. "I've always been hot-headed and quick to act. I've toned down a bit since joining the ANBU, but not enough to change who I am." He told the Commander.

"Even if I could, I'm not just going to change that. Adapting to whatever's thrown at me is what's kept me alive all these years. Hell, if I hadn't disobeyed the Raikage's orders to stay out of the war, I wouldn't be your 'War Hero.' But I can see how important this mission is, and I will follow you. If nothing else, I'll promise you that." Naruto said firmly to the Commander.

Shepard eyed the blonde warily. "Are you certain? I'm not sure I'll be able to hold you to it."

Naruto shot the Commander a hard look, full of determination. "I gave you my word Shepard, and that is something I will not break for anyone."

Shepard sized the young man up before saying "I'll keep that in mind. You ready to move?"

Naruto glanced out to the forest illuminated in the moonlight. Without word he made his way over to the edge of the roof, staring out into the starry sky. The same sky he'd stared at as a child, wishing for a brighter future. The same sky, he now realized, that would now be his home. "Ready as I'll ever be." He lamented.

"You sure about leaving? I doubt we'll be coming back." Shepard reminded him. It was a lot to ask, heavier than any burden either of them had carried in the past. But if Naruto wasn't up for the mission, it'd be in both their best interests to keep him off the team.

"Shepard, it's been seven years since the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War. The world was united us against a common enemy. There were no villages or bad blood, there were only Shinobi. I thought it was the beginning of something new, a true peace among nations. But it didn't last. Those allegiances fell apart, and now we're back to the way it was before the war, just a bunch of warrior states stuck in the past. I couldn't change that." He explained, "But with this mission, even if I don't come back, maybe I can make a difference before the end."

Shepard slowly approached the young man until he was at his side, silently offering his understanding. The man was young and brash, reckless even, but he made it clear his heart was in the right place. Shepard just hoped he wouldn't lose it over their journey. On his last journey to fight Saren, it seemed like everything foul lurking in the Attican Traverse made it their sole purpose to see him dead. And with their next mission taking place in the Terminus Systems, he was sure his new team would be getting plenty of exercise.

"This forest goes on forever." Naruto started, bringing the Commander out of his thoughts. Pointing straight ahead of them over the mountains, he continued, "Fifty kilometers to those mountains. Another hundred until you reach the Village Hidden in the Leaves, my home. And for all that distance, this forest never ends. It just goes on and on and on…" Naruto trailed off, his mind bringing back some of his best memories from the forest. "I know everything about this forest. I know the creeks, the valleys, the lakes and the mountains. I know where the rarest flowers are, and where to find the juiciest fruits and berries." He reminisced with a small smile on his face. He'd been in familiar territory so long, it was going to be strange, being a fish out of water.

"But it's time I left on another adventure."

Far away from the clearing the two heard the rumble of twin eezo engines as the shuttle came to life. The shuttle rose from the forest and rocketed over to the two, stopping in the center of the roof before slowly lowering itself down.

"Believe me now?" Shepard said with a small smirk.

"Uh-huh…" Naruto dumbly responded as he stumbled over to the strange craft in a trance. Raising his hand, he daintily ran a finger down the cool metal , tracing the black and yellow logo painted onto the side. "A real spaceship." He muttered in wonder. To think he was the first of his kind to make contact with such advanced technology, and that he was about to be the first Shinobi in space! Just the thought made him a little giddy with excitement.

"Whoa!" he leapt back with his hands up as the door suddenly slid open. As soon as it was open enough, a tall woman in a white skin-tight suit with the same emblem as the ship walked out.

"Commander, sorry to keep you waiting."

"Glad you could join us. Naruto, this is Miranda Lawson, part of my crew."

Naruto snapped out of his stupor and turned to the Cerberus Operative, very carefully controlling his gaze to keep it from wandering. "Uh, nice to meet you." He said lamely, scratching the back of his head.

"Good to see you're still alive. Now come on, we need to get Jacob back to the Normandy." She said as she stepped back into the shuttle, heading for the controls.

Shepard turned when he heard a thud coming from behind. He turned to see the crate he'd moved shake slightly as the Agents tried to force their way up. Turning to Naruto, he motioned for the blonde to get onto the shuttle. The blonde nodded, hopping aboard without a word of protest with Shepard following at his heels.

Seeing that all crew was aboard, Miranda fired up the engines and proceeded with liftoff. Naruto had to grab onto a nearby pole as the shuttle began roaring through the sky at breakneck speeds. After taking a moment to let the blonde get used to the momentum, Shepard pulled out the detonator to the bomb and turned to his new recruit. Looking at the device and then back at Shepard, the blonde sharpened his gaze, giving the Commander a curt nod. Shepard followed by flicking the cover of the detonator and pressed the button.

The two turned to look out the side of the shuttle as the bomb went off, blowing apart the mansion and leveling a good section of the forest. The blast rose high above the trees, sending flaming debris raining down onto the forest canopy setting some alight. The flames slowly became smaller and smaller as the shuttle began to rise higher into the atmosphere, until the fire, the forest, and eventually even the planet itself was nothing more than a spec against the stars in the sky.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

Hey everyone, I'm flattered by all the feedback on the first chapter and I feel I should answer some of the more frequently asked ones here.

First, I want to explain that ninjas will not be overpowered juggernauts capable of taking down a reaper mano a mano. In this universe, ninjas have superhuman speed and reflexes, but ultimately they're still human and bound by human limitations and the laws of physics. Otherwise Naruto would one-shot everything in the story, and that'd be fun for about a chapter. I want ninjas to be on scale with everything else, and they have to be for this to work. A crossover where one side is overpowered never works in the long term. That's why Naruto and his men weren't able to dodge those mass accelerator sniper rounds. Ninjas can't dodge something moving at FTL speeds, that'd just be too much. I hope this helps you understand. To summarize, yes, ninjas have been nerfed from their godlike status for the story, like the M-37 Falcon in multiplayer :(

Now about perspective: this will switch point of view primarily between Shepard and Naruto and other characters as I see fit, while focusing mainly on Naruto. We've all played Mass Effect through Shepard (who is primarily paragon in this story with a splash of renegade), we don't need a rewrite of the story told only through his eyes. Naruto is a great character. He's funny, light-hearted and knows what's important. I feel that ever since Shippuden started much of the quality has gone downhill. The Chunin exams remains my favorite arc, and I'll always love the original run through the Sasuke retrieval, but the latest chapters just aren't too my liking. That's one of the reasons I chose to write this story. Mass Effect has a great story, and Naruto is a character deserving of a great story. While he's still Shepard's subordinate, I feel I can make this work, and I hope you all enjoy it.

A lot of this chapter was techno-babble and setting up the story, but I wanted to take care of that, and describe just what's happened to Naruto. It's been seven years since the end of the war, and he is an adult, but still ultimately the same knucklehead we all love. But the war and everything since have had their effect on him, and it shows.

I've tried to answer most questions as they arrive. If I didn't answer something, please let me know and I'll answer it to the best of my abilities. If you have any feedback or constructive criticism, I'd love to hear it. Thanks for reading, and see you all next chapter!


	3. Welcome to the Galaxy

**Chapter 3: Welcome to the Galaxy**

Shepard stood silently in the medbay as Dr. Chakwas went to checking Jacob's vital signs. It had been nearly eighteen hours since their return to the Normandy and yet Jacob hadn't woken since he was sedated. Dr. Chakwas said it was necessary for Jacob to remain asleep to allow for better recovery, but she also acknowledged the chance that he may never wake up again. She'd done everything she could to get him stabilized, but given how long Jacob had gone without medical attention on the field meant the damage had already been done. The Mantis rifles used by the snipers were heavily modified, designed to penetrate the body and puncture the vital organs. One shot alone had dropped his shields, and the other two tore right through him. Jacob was lucky; one of the rounds had passed an inch to the side of his heart. Still, he'd lost nearly a liter and a half of blood, had Shepard taken much longer he'd have bled out on the forest floor.

This left Shepard in a difficult situation. Out of all the Cerberus Operatives aboard the Normandy, Jacob was the only one who struck him as a good man and someone who genuinely wanted to do some good in the Galaxy. He could trust Jacob at his back with a rifle. The only people aboard he trusted more were Joker and Dr. Chakwas, and neither of them were fit for serving combat duty. That meant that the Shore Team now consisted of himself, Miranda Lawson and Naruto Uzumaki, and he wasn't ready to trust those two further than a Volus could chuck a Krogan. Miranda was talented, experienced and deadly in battle, but the woman was Cerberus to the core. His partnership with the Illusive Man was a deal with the devil and he had no intention of letting it last longer than he had to, and when he severed all ties Miranda wouldn't be with him. Uzumaki was another problem entirely. Energetic and eager to take on the Galaxy he'd never seen before, Shepard knew he was going to start more problems for them than he'd fix.

Taking a deep breath to calm his excited body, he opened his omni-tool and brought up the dossiers. After consulting with Miranda earlier, he'd decided that finding a way to counteract the Seeker Swarms was top priority if they were to have any chance at battling the Collectors. Miranda personally recommended Dr. Mordin Solus, a famous Salarian scientist located on Omega. And so, despite every cell in his body screaming at him to avoid that piss-hole at all costs, he'd ordered Joker to take them to the seediest corner of the galaxy. He could only hope the place wasn't half the dump he'd heard it was.

Chakwas finished checking Jacob's blood pressure and removed the strap. She wasn't smiling. "I'm sorry Commander, but even if he does wake up I'm not sure he'll be fit for duty."

"What's the problem?" Shepard asked.

"One of the shots went clear through a rib and there are bone fragments in the muscle tissue, but I can remove them with surgery. I'm more worried about the damage to his cauda equina." Chakwas sadly explained, looking worried.

"Can you translate that last bit for me, doctor?"

"Oh, sorry." Chakwas began, "The cauda equina are the nerves at the bottom of the spinal column. They carry nerve impulses to and from the legs. One of the shots damaged the nerves and we won't know how much it's affected Jacob's motor functions until he's awake."

Shepard nodded stiffly, fully understanding the severity of it all now. "Would it be better if we brought him to the Citadel, or somewhere else that's fully staffed?"

Chakwas shook her head sadly. "Without question, but the Alliance has Cerberus filed as a terrorist organization. The Cerberus symbol is treated as a target in Citadel space. We could look in the Terminus systems, but I doubt their stocks are better than my own." She turned to Jacob and pulled out another syringe filled with clear liquid, and with practiced precision injected the sedative into Jacob's bloodstream. "As a doctor, and as a woman, it's hard watching someone suffer when there's nothing I can do to help. I felt the same way when the first Normandy was destroyed two years ago."

Shepard took pause as he caught a slight look of guilt pass over the doctor's eyes. To him two years had passed in an instant, he hadn't had time to think of the pain his crew went through. Chakwas and everyone else had watched him die over Alchera, powerless to save anyone but themselves. But they didn't abandon him, and Shepard wanted her to know that she had no reason to feel guilty. Without a word the Commander pulled the doctor into a soft embrace, gently wrapping his arms around the woman as she slowly returned the gesture.

"You did nothing wrong back then, and you're giving this ship everything you can. I could never ask for anything more, doctor." He said as the two separated.

Chakwas smiled, looking relatively more perked than before. "Thank you, Shepard. It's good to be serving under you again. I just hope I'm not needed _terribly_ often." She said with emphasis.

"Given our latest recruit, I wouldn't count on that." Shepard said with a small laugh.

Chakwas chuckled, covering her mouth out of manners. "Should I reserve him a private gurney?"

"I'm hoping that won't be necessary." Shepard muttered. He really was.

The two perked up as Joker's voice came in over the comm. _"Hey Commander, Naruto wants a word with you."_

Shepard sighed. "Where is he?"

"_Oh, he's up here…and in the cargo bay…and with Miranda…got a few in engineering too."_ Joker breathed as he finished listing off all the clones. Sometimes it felt like they'd picked up seven recruits, not one. _"Hang on, got one by the…the women's bathroom?"_

Shepard and Chakwas exchanged glances, wondering what the blonde was up to. Sighing, Shepard looked away. "I'll look into it." He said before making his way out.

"Goodbye Shepard." Chakwas said as the Commander left before turning to her terminal to input new data.

Shepard stepped through the medbay doors and walked the short distance from there to the women's restroom. He paused as he entered the hallway, nearly tripping over himself at what he saw.

Naruto was squatting on the floor, his eyes narrowly focused on the doorway leading to the women's restroom as if he was staring down a shady merchant. Before Shepard could speak the blonde shot him a harsh look, bringing his finger to his lip to demand silence. Turning his attention back to the door, he brought his hand up and pressed the switch. The door opened with a familiar swish, exposing the empty women's lavatory.

Naruto gulped sharply as a bead of sweat rolled down his cheek. Was this really that intense? Slowly the blonde raised his right hand, and with hesitation began to send it into the forbidden threshold. Just as his hand was about to pass the invisible barrier, he paused, almost pulling back, but sharpening his gaze he pressed onward. His hand kept slowly creeping its way forward, until…

"Naruto, the men's restroom is on the port side of the-"

"I KNEW IT!" Naruto screeched as he sprang up, pointing an accusing finger at the ceiling.

Shepard raised an eyebrow as the blonde began screaming accusations at the ceiling, using some rather colorful language as he did.

"Shepard, I have done something wrong?" EDI asked as Naruto paused to catch his breath.

"You know exactly what you did, you perverted computer!" Naruto roared back to life.

Shepard brought a hand up to rub his forehead in an attempt to fight off the oncoming headache. "Okay, just tell me what's happening."

"That _thing_ is watching us take a piss! It's got eyes in the bathrooms!" Naruto accused, holding off another rant as he waited with baited breath for Shepard to respond.

Shepard held off the urge to tell the blonde to shut the hell up and continued, "EDI, have you been monitoring the restrooms?"

"Negative Commander. While I continuously track crew locations, I am not equipped to monitor crew activities inside of areas deemed private."

Shepard turned to Naruto and shrugged. "There you have it. Even if she could, I doubt EDI would spy on us in the bathrooms for her own pleasure."

"My programming does not allow for erotic desires." EDI clarified.

Naruto sloughed over in defeat. "Aw man, I was sure someone was spying on me in there. I could feel it…" He sighed as he closed the women's restroom.

"Perhaps you are referring to the bugs Miranda had planted during construction." EDI chimed in helpfully.

EDI's comment brought silence to the room. A cold, insidious silence, like a bomb just waiting to be detonated. And judging by the dark, murderous look on Naruto's face, this bomb was atomic.

"Miranda…she's been…watching me?" Naruto muttered, his voice slightly unstable. This time, Shepard was with the blonde. He'd known about the monitoring devices planted around the ship, but he'd at least assumed they'd have some privacy in the restrooms. Miranda had gone too far this time, and for all he cared she would get what was coming to her.

"Hold on, before I lose my chance tell me where the real Naruto is."

"Engineering room by the core. Now excuse me Commander, me and Miranda are gonna have a little chat." Naruto finished before storming off to the other end of the ship.

Shepard sighed, stretching his neck as he made his way over to the elevator and began descending to deck 4. He'd have a chat with Miranda later, after the blonde had softened her up for him. Yes, things were going to get very _interesting_ with those two in his squad.

Commander Shepard stepped out of the elevator onto the walkway, and remembering how Joker mentioned a clone in the cargo bay and decided to take a look. On the left side of the cargo bay, a Naruto clone stood dead still, keeping a nice firm grip on his shiny new submachine gun. Fidgeting as he searched for the thermal clip ejection port, he pulled it back and ejected the clip, replacing it with a fresh one. Taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it he lined up the sights as best he could and squeezed the trigger, sending a small barrage of slugs downrange at the target. To Shepard's great surprise, each slug managed to hit the mark. He was nowhere near the level of marksmen; none of the rounds came anywhere near the center and his shots were still all over the target. But since the young man had just been handed his first firearm less than six hours ago, he couldn't help but be impressed. He must've been practicing nonstop even since.

Realizing that Uzumaki was still full of surprises, he turned and entered engineering, giving a small greeting to Kenneth and Gabby, who stopped bickering for a moment to welcome him. Making his way to the core, he caught sight of five Naruto's lining the walkway, each with an omni-tool projecting over their left hand. Each clone was reading the details displayed on their devices with intense focus, a sharp contrast to the outburst he'd witnessed just moments ago. They didn't even look up as they waved him in.

Shepard eyes the clones, before speaking "So which one of you is the real-"

Shepard leapt back as a head of blonde hair fell from the ceiling, nearly going for his sidearm on reflex. Upon hearing the snickering coming from the blonde's inverted face, he regained his calm and sighed. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, just hanging." Naruto joked as he strolled along the ceiling.

"I forgot you could do that." Shepard mused as Naruto grinned.

"You should've seen Ken, he screamed like a girl!" Naruto laughed.

"And I hit him!" Gabby proudly piped up from her console.

Naruto rubbed his head, presumably on the spot where the engineer had taught him a lesson. "Yeah, that too…"

Shepard shook his head, not quite containing his amusement. He almost wanted to congratulate Gabby, but decided against it. "Get down from there. What'd you want to talk about?"

Naruto nodded, flipping down from the ceiling in true acrobatic style. "I've been reading up on whatever I can get my hands on, trying to give myself an edge. I don't wanna walk around with my jaw on the ground when we make port, but I probably will anyways." Naruto finished, before adding "Did I say that right? Make port? I'm trying out some of your military jargon."

"Well enough. Is that what you've been doing? Studying?"

"Among other things." He said, referring to his pranking and exploring the Normandy. "Got a clone in the cargo hold practicing with that gun Miranda gave me, and each of these five clones has been studying up on a different topic. They're studying aliens and culture, locations, technology, laws, and the last is focusing on Omega, the place Joker said we were headed."

Shepard turned to the five clones sitting, obediently focusing on their omni-tools as if the two weren't even there. "So when you dispel them, you gain everything they've learned?"

"Knowledge, experience, etcetera. They become memories, as if I'd done them myself. They've been at it for over half a day by now."

"Sounds lazy. What've you been doing?" Shepard asked, shooting an accusing gaze at Naruto.

"Me? Aside from the jargon, I've been learning about you." Naruto finished, casually pointing to the Commander.

"Commander Shepard, born on earth, orphaned at an early age and raised on the streets. Enlisted with the Alliance at age eighteen. Sole survivor of the massacre on Akuze. First human Spectre, and savior of the Citadel. Status: killed in action, marked two years ago." Naruto finished, a solemn look in his eyes. "So how the hell are you alive?"

Shepard paused for a moment, unsure where to begin. For all the blonde's wild antics so far, he hadn't expected him to dig so deeply so fast. But if he'd learned anything in the past twenty four hours, it was to never assume anything regarding Naruto Uzumaki.

Resigning himself with a sigh, he decided to explain. "A month after the battle of the Citadel, I was ordered to patrol in search of Geth activity. You know what Geth are?" When one of the clones turned its head and nodded, he continued, "Our ship, the first Normandy, was attacked and destroyed. I didn't make it. I don't know what happened after that, but a group called Cerberus acquired my body and brought me back. It took them two years; I only just woke up a few days ago."

Naruto nodded, feeling a little uneasy. "So you were dead?"

Shepard didn't answer right away. The thought of him as a corpse was something he'd been fighting ever since he woke up. So far no one had actually referred to him as being dead for the last two years. It had been implied, but never said. Naruto's words sent an icy chill down his spine. Maybe to him it felt like he'd just woken up from a very long sleep, but the truth was he had died, alone, above an unknown world at the hands of an unknown enemy. It all felt like it had just happened last week, but two years of his life had been lost to death. His reunion with Tali, seeing how she'd moved on, was proof of that. He had been dead, and there had been nothing.

"It's only been three days since I woke up. I'm still trying to understand it myself." Shepard finally said.

Sensing the subject ran deeper then the Commander cared to talk about, the blonde cut him off. "I'm sorry, wasn't thinking. It's just, I've had my fair share of dead people coming back to life…it usually doesn't work out so well."

Shepard perked up at Naruto's statement. "Your people can bring others back from the dead?"

Naruto was slightly shocked at the Commander's sudden shift, but continued. "Yeah, it's possible but forbidden. It's called Edo Tensei, the Impure World Resurrection Technique. By sacrificing the body of a living person, the user can call back the soul of the dead. A lot of dead heroes were brought back to fight us in the Fourth Shinobi World War. A lot of them were my friends." Naruto paused, "We had to kill them all over again."

Naruto leaned on the railing as memories of the war ran through his head. Shepard walked over to join him. "Sounds like a brutal war."

"Yeah." Naruto breathed. "The war only lasted for six months, but it was the bloodiest period we'd ever seen. Thousands would be wiped out in a day, and entire villages would disappear overnight." The blonde looked slightly guilty at his own statement. "We're lucky it ended before the whole world was in flames."

"How did it end?" Shepard asked.

"I killed their leader, the man behind that stupid war. Probably why I'm your War Hero." Naruto finished with a small grin. "He wanted to put us all under an illusion, keep us docile and at peace. But forced peace could never be a true peace, and the whole world united against him. I held the key to him completing his plans; he needed me alive. So I agreed to meet him and settle it once and for all. We fought for days, but finally he slipped up, and I killed him."

"How did you manage that?"

"I slipped him some Sage Chakra." Naruto stated simply. "He thought he had me beat and let his guard down, but I had just enough Sage Chakra left to force into his system. Anyone who can't control Sage Chakra is turned into a statue of a frog. Last I checked, his statue is still there." Naruto finished with a small laugh.

Shepard shook his head, unable to decide if the blonde was a battle genius or the luckiest man alive. Either way, that was _not_ how he expected the War Hero's story of greatness to turn out. "That was seven years ago, right? So you did that when you were sixteen?"

Naruto nodded proudly. "Yup! I was also a Genin, the lowest ninja rank. Not bad, huh?"

"Sixteen seems a bit young for someone to be going to war."

"Maybe for you, but it's our way of life. If you're born in a ninja village, chances are you're going to end up supporting the military somehow. Most of us sign up for the ninja academy at age seven, and we graduate as Genin at age twelve. We don't get many dangerous assignments until we're older, but there are exceptions…" Naruto trailed off, flashing back to his first mission to the Land of Waves.

"I don't think I want to ask." Shepard folded his arms over his chest as he spoke. "Most of the galaxy would happily put anyone forcing children to fight to an untimely death, and I'm no exception."

"Hey, I didn't say it was perfect." Naruto defended his people on instinct. "Sure we start young, but we keep the kids away from jobs that'd force them to kill until they're old enough to handle it. I didn't kill until I was fifteen, and even that was an exception."

"Uh huh. And that was?"

Naruto opened his mouth to continue, but no words came out. Turning away, he decided to keep that story under wraps for the time being. "Let's leave that alone for now, Shepard. We're moving onto some rough grounds."

"Fair enough." Shepard nodded. "I may not agree with your methods, but I can't argue with the results. They lost a fine soldier."

Naruto laughed. "Guess so. Glad they don't know how though."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "They'll probably think you were a casualty with the rest of your team. You don't mind them thinking you're dead?"

"If they didn't think I was dead, they would find me and **make** me dead." Naruto said with heavy emphasis. "Do you have any idea what they'd do to me if they found out I went rogue? They'd send ANBU to hunt me down and burn me where I fell. They don't take rogue ninjas lightly."

"Maybe, but I doubt they'd find you this far out in the galaxy."

Naruto shot Shepard a disbelieving look. "You haven't met the old hag we call our leader. _She would __**find**__ a way."_ He paused. "Probably try to beat me to death herself."

Shepard took note of the blonde's dark expression, clearly one holding back terror. "Still, you must've had friends. Don't you wish you could've said goodbye?"

Naruto shook his head. "Of course I want to say goodbye, but it doesn't sound like we'll be coming back from this mission. Better they think I died doing my duty to the village."

"Fair enough. So you're really okay with this? I doubt we'll be coming back."

Naruto shot the Commander a slightly irritated look. "Shepard, check your ears, because I'm sure I already made myself clear. If there are people who need saving, I don't care where they're from. I've never turned my back on those in need, and I won't start now. I promised to follow you Shepard, and I never go back on my word. That's my Nindo, my way of the Ninja!"

The blonde shot Shepard a hard stare, fire dancing in his eyes. This War Hero reminded him of Jenkins, young and eager to join the fight. He just hoped he wouldn't meet his end quite as early.

"That's all I need. Get yourself ready, we'll be arriving soon."

He nodded. "Aye aye, Commander." Naruto said, giving the Commander a sloppy salute, though not bad for his first try. "I just hope the galaxy is ready for-"

The blonde froze, his fiery look gone, replaced with one of confusion and deep contemplation. Shepard watched as his clones broke their concentration as well. Slowly, their six lips curled into scowls, and Shepard braced himself for the worst.

"THAT PERVERT!"

Shepard just stood silently as the six Narutos flew past him, bolting for the elevator. He made a note to pick up some aspirin for the mission. Goodness knows he'd need the whole bottle.

* * *

><p>"Omega. What a Pisshole." Miranda said as the trio made their way through the streets.<p>

"No kidding. Do the streets double as bathrooms around here?" Naruto said flatly.

Miranda shrugged. "I wouldn't count out the possibility. Come on, Aria's waiting."

Cringing as a Salarian who looked to make a habit of rolling in coal dust bumped into him, the Captain looked down at his sage coat. He'd unsealed it for his grand entrance to the Galaxy to wear over his ANBU armor, but now he wondered if the smell would ever wash out.

From what he'd read he hadn't been coming into Omega with high expectations. But it must have taken effort to make a city this bad. Everyone on the streets, human or otherwise, looked like they would follow you into a dark alley and beat you to death just for fun. Every street seemed to have a resident prostitute and a shady hustler waiting for a sucker to con. The very air of the city smelled stagnant and diseased, a stench he was sure would be lingering unpleasantly in his nose for far longer than he'd like.

Overall, not the best first impression of the Galaxy.

The trio made their way through the streets to the Afterlife, where they were told they could meet with the unofficial ruler of Omega, Aria T'loak. As the great doors parted, the group was blasted with loud techno and the smell of sweat and mixed drinks. Maneuvering their way past the patrons in varying states of sobriety they reached the end of the hallway and into the grand chamber of the Afterlife.

Naruto felt his body go rigid at the sight of the club, it was all he could do to keep pace with the Commander. But as Shepard kept his focus on the mission, Naruto let his eyes take in the scenery. Giant screens flashed all around the chambers as the bartenders demonstrated their flare to the patrons of the finest club on Omega. Dozens of eager customers wore sleazy smiles as the strange blue humanoids danced on stage, their slender forms gracefully flowing through practiced routines.

A lone dancer on the edge of the center platform caught Naruto's eyes, another blue alien with delicate features, teasingly covered with thin shiny fabric that left little to his imagination. She glided herself around the pole with practiced ease, a small smile gracing her mousy face. The blaring music began to fade out of his mind as his mind focused only on her dance. The creature twirled around, locking eyes with the dazed blonde for a fleeting instant. In the moment before she turned she flashed him a sly grin and a quick wink, falling back into her routine. He could feel something beginning to stir inside him, something not quite like lust, but less primal and deeper in his mind. He could feel himself becoming lost in this new feeling…

"Uzumaki, snap out of it!" Miranda harped, shaking his shoulder roughly.

Naruto blinked, brining himself back to reality. "Wha-oh, I-" he stammered, his head whipping between her and the dancer.

Shepard cut Naruto off his stammer. "Something catch your eye?" He half joked.

Naruto blinked again as he felt himself grasping his situation. "Um, yeah, I guess…" he managed to get out as he glanced back at the lovely creature on the stage.

Shepard followed his gaze, shaking his head. First time seeing an Asari, he thought. "Forget it, she's too old for you, kid."

The blonde narrowed his eyes slightly at the comment about his youth, but ignored it. "I doubt it…"

"Trust me. Now come on." Shepard said before turning, followed by Miranda. Naruto quickly caught up to them, this time keeping his eyes straight ahead.

The three approached the lavish stairway to the single balcony, where they'd been told to meet with Aria. The plated alien guard he recognized as a turian at the bottom of the stairs flagged them over, stopping them just before they ascended.

"Hold it Shepard, you're the only one Aria said to let up. Leave your friends down here." The guard ordered, gesturing towards Naruto and Miranda.

Sensing his squadmate's oncoming outburst, Shepard quickly began "I'm Commander Shepard, and I'm not here to cause trouble. Neither are any members of my team."

The Turian brushed his promise aside. "This is Aria's condition. Your friends stay here or you leave…" He trailed off, cradling his rifle. "…In pieces, if necessary."

This time, Shepard wasn't fast enough. "You think we're gonna let him up there with you freaks?!"

The turian shot the blonde a stupid look. "Insult me again, let me show you how we handle unwelcome guests." He stated casually as he flicked the safety off his rifle.

Shepard raised a hand, calling both Miranda and Naruto to keep their hands off their weapons. "Miranda, take Naruto down to the floor. Stay out of trouble until I'm back, that's an order."

Miranda gave Shepard a quick nod before grabbing the blonde's arm and dragging him away against his protests. Naruto watched as Miranda dragged him away, Shepard nodding to the guard before slowly ascending the stairs to the balcony. Once he was out of sight, Naruto yanked his arm back and glared at Miranda. "What the hell are you doing, letting him go up there alone!"

Miranda met his gaze, closing the distance. "If they wanted him dead, they wouldn't be letting him this close to Aria." Miranda said, lecturing the blonde as if she were talking to a child. "The Commander isn't an amateur, he can take care of himself."

The blonde grumbled, crossing his arms while glancing up at the balcony. No gunshots yet, a good sign he guessed, "I still don't like it…"

"If Shepard cared what you liked, he would've asked." She paused, "And so would I."

Naruto glared blankly at the woman, "Stupid stalker lady…" He muttered.

Miranda ignored the childish jab, taking a moment to scan the room. The whole room was alive with action, so their little display hadn't drawn too much attention. "Looks like we're clear. Keep your guard up, in case anything happens." The last thing she wanted was to get involved in some local spat. Omega's barfights were infamous in their brutality.

Spacing out as Miranda confirmed they were still unnoticed, the blonde decided that if they had time to kill, he may as well make the best of it. "I'm going to check out the bar." Naruto announced as he made his way to through the crowd. The woman turned in time to watch the blonde disappear into the faceless mob before following him, not wanting to get separated and risk another incident.

Naruto weaved in and out of patrons in varying states of inebriation before arriving at the bar, calling over a Batarian working the counter. "Hey, four-eyes, I'm new here. Gimme your best stuff." He shouted. The Batarian nodded, before pulling out a vial of blue liquid from beneath the desk. Naruto watched as the bartender whirled the tube around before pouring into a fresh glass.

Just as the bartender finished, Miranda walked up beside him, eyeing the blue drink in front of him. "Put that away, we can't have you getting drunk on the mission."

Naruto scoffed, oh how little the woman knew. "Relax Miranda, I just wanna try it. I doubt this stuff is any stronger than what we have back in Konoha."

Miranda rested her head on her hand as she took a stool next to the blonde, remembering a particularly embarrassing incident involving Jacob and some strong Batarian Ale. He never could hold his liquor. "Don't count on that." She warned.

Naruto shrugged, eyeing the glass. "Whatever, I'll be fine. Alcohol's never affected me anyways."

"Really? And how's that?" She raised an eyebrow.

Naruto paused right before the glass touched his lips. Slowly he lowered the liquid, turning to face Miranda. He couldn't tell her the _real_ reason, that wouldn't go over well. So instead, he bullshitted. "Oh, nothing special. My body just processes alcohol better than most people. It's an Uzumaki thing." It was part true, his clan did have a strong vitality.

"Really? I thought it was because of your tenant."

The sound of the club seemed to disappear entirely as Naruto felt his blood run cold, his drink forgotten on the table. Whatever little friendly atmosphere was there vanished in a flash. For nearly half a minute the two remained frozen, oblivious to the world around them. A thousand thoughts flew through the blonde's mind, but by the time he spoke again he knew only one question mattered.

"Who else knows?" He asked, trying to keep his nerves from showing.

Miranda shrugged. "Only myself and the Illusive Man. For now he wants to keep it that way." Miranda paused as the blonde let out a breath of relief, before asking "Uzumaki, I need you to be honest with me: is there any chance you could lose control?"

Naruto's uncomfortable fidgeting was enough of an answer for Miranda. "I haven't even spoken to it in seven years."

"Answer the question." Miranda said firmly.

Naruto sighed, looking downcast. "…There's always a small one." He admitted, but quickly added, "But I've been training to suppress it if it ever tries to take over again. I won't let it happen." He said, sounding more sure of himself than he actually was. He was all too aware of how powerful the fox's control could be, and the willpower it took to keep himself from succumbing to the demon's control. Even with all his training in controlling it, he knew there would always be that small risk.

Miranda nodded, taking in what Naruto had said as the man went back to toying with his drink. "I spent over two years of my life rebuilding him, and I'm taking a big risk letting you anywhere near the Commander. I need you to keep it in check, do you understand?"

"Yeah, because I want to let a demon fox take over my body." Naruto lamely joked. "Just, don't tell Shepard about it, okay?"

"If it stays sealed I won't have to." Miranda informed him. The two then went silent, letting the minutes tick by before either spoke again.

Something had been bothering Naruto ever since he was taken aboard the Normandy, and his conversation with Miranda was only furthering his suspicion. Just how much did these people know about him? Better yet, how the hell did this Illusive Man know about the fox? Sure, it wasn't much of a secret in Konoha anymore, but what were they looking to find? These people didn't show up in any records he'd seen in his time in ANBU, so they'd gone out of their way to avoid direct contact. Why? What were they planning to do with all of this information? It made him feel like some sort of test subject, knowing these people had been watching them under a microscope for who knows how long.

The blonde cast a quick glance at the brunette next to him, who was too busy with her own thoughts to notice. He was sorely tempted to start screaming out every question he could think of, consequences me damned. But he knew better. There'd be time for twenty questions later, for now he had to focus on what mattered in the present. Whether he liked it or not, he had to work with them if he was to keep his promise to Shepard.

He didn't know if he could trust Cerberus, or any of their members, but he felt he could trust Shepard. Unlike the rest of the people he'd met on the ship, the Commander almost appeared as an open book with nothing to hide. He spoke bluntly and directly, and he never said something he didn't believe. From the way he moved to the way he looked to his crew, you could see the confidence, the respect, and the firm belief that what he was doing was the right thing.

That was why Naruto had agreed to go with the man on his Suicide Mission, despite all the warning bells he got from their sponsor. In all his years as a Ninja, he'd never met someone who worked with such a sense of purpose, not even the Kages.

Naruto was brought back to reality by Miranda, who was calling for him. "I thought I told you to keep your guard up." She lectured, before holding up a glass of water. "Cheers."

Naruto blinked, he hadn't been expecting a friendly gesture from the woman. Pushing aside his misgivings for now and giving a small smile he reached for his forgotten glass of blue liquor and the two clinked glasses. "Cheers."

Naruto was about to take a sip when he caught Miranda look past him, looking slightly on edge. Turning, he caught sight of a group of Batarians crowding the bar directly behind him holding an animated chat. The one nearest to him caught his gaze and turned to give him a scowl, making his pushy face look even more grotesque.

"What're you looking at, _human_?" The Batarian sneered, making the words far more insulting than they should have been.

As Naruto was hit with the venom in his words, the cogs in his mind began to turn. The cocky sneer, as if he was looking down at a piece of dog feces of the sidewalk, was just like the look the alien agent had given him after he'd killed his team. Linking the two together, Naruto came to one conclusion.

He did NOT like Batarians.

"Just wondering what fucked up your face." Naruto smirked as the Batarian scowled.

"You got a problem with my face?" He asked threateningly.

"Yeah, they only got one side. Want me to even it out for you?" The ANBU Captain rose from his chair, still holding his untouched drink in his hand.

The Batarian chuckled darkly. "I'd like to see you try."

"Gladly." Naruto smiled innocently, before smashing the glass against the side of the Batarian's face, covering him with glass and blue liquid as he fell to the floor.

At the sound of breaking glass, the other four Batarians turned to look at their friend, then at the blonde. A second later, before Miranda had any chance of intervening, it was on.

The closest Batarian charged at the blonde throwing a wild haymaker. Naruto blocked the punch and slid his arm up to the Batarian's head, slamming it against the bar table while grabbing his stool with his free hand, spinning around and smashing the next Batarian in the side. The two behind their friend reached for their pistols, but Naruto quickly leapt forward and kicked the dazed Batarian into one of his friends while he caught the other's arm before he had it fully drawn. Bringing the arm up, he wrapped his arm around the Batarian's neck and flipped him over, slamming him onto the ground.

Turning to the last two Batarians, he leapt over to them before they'd recovered from his kick and as fast as you could blink punched the closest in the stomach three times, the third sending him back ten feet over the bar. The final Batarian was once again trying to pull out his gun but as he got it out, Naruto grabbed his wrist and yanked the alien in to a devastating headbutt, before letting his limp from crumple to the ground.

It was over in less than ten seconds.

Taking a moment to admire his handiwork as the crowd spread to give the fighter his distance, he didn't watch Miranda's harsh glare until she was within striking distance. And as he would come to know, with Miranda that was never a good thing.

"_You idiot_!" She hissed, somehow managing to keep her usual nonchalant expression.

Naruto just crossed his hands behind his head, looking satisfied. "Not my fault. I was provoked."

'_You were the one provoking'_ Miranda kept that thought to herself. Tempting as the thought may be, starting a war of words with the blonde in the aftermath of his first fight would do more harm than good.

"The Commander isn't going to be happy." She sighed, turning away.

Naruto twitched. "Come on, it isn't tha-"

"GHA!"

The two turned to the first Batarian on the floor, gasping and clawing at his face in agony.

"H-HELP ME! AAAAAH!"

The Batarian writhed on the floor as Miranda settled at his side to assist, but as quickly as it began the alien's movements began to slow, until seconds later they stopped altogether.

Miranda checked for any vital signs, but found none. Unfazed, she turned to the blue liquid, noting how it turned an ugly green as it contacted the cuts from the glass entering the bloodstream.

"The drink was poisoned." Miranda concluded.

Naruto felt a cold chill run down his spine, before his rage began to boil. Turning quickly, he locked eyes with the Batarian bartender, who looked like he wanted nothing more to do than to sink into the scenery. He'd been caught red handed trying to poison the wrong guy's drink.

He _really_ did not like Batarians.

"_You._" He hissed in a way that would've had Orochimaru asking for tips. "You stupid son of a whore."

He quickly found himself entertaining several creative ideas he could teach this guy a lesson. Or lessons. Several lessons. Several very _painful_ lessons in how to properly treat a patron, ANBU Black Ops style. Or maybe he'd let him sample some of his more exotic Shinobi poisons. He was sure he had a few that caused harmful hallucinations in one of his summoning scrolls…

Yes, creative ideas indeed.

So lost was he in his thoughts that he failed to notice that the Afterlife had gone completely silent, save for the footsteps of Commander Shepard (who looked to be in desparate need of that aspirin) and the Asari he was following.

The blonde turned as the Asari made her way to the center of the crowd, followed by Shepard. When it looked like he was about to say something (and knowing him, it'd be something rude), Shepard shot him a stern glare, warning him to keep his mouth shut. Whether by Shepard's warning or the heavy atmosphere, Naruto didn't say a word.

The Afterlife was so silent you could hear a cricket chirp, but the Asari before him looked like she would destroy the cricket for daring to interrupt her.

There were many adjectives the blonde could have used to describe the alien, including several regarding her looks, all of which would fail to do her justice. But those were words he also would've used to describe the dancer that had so captivated him earlier. She was different. The glint in her eyes alone told him she'd take great pleasure in his suffering if he dared to defy her. Dangerous, powerful, cool, collected, unforgiving, apathetic, and completely in control with everything wrapped around her fingers. And she knew it, and she loved it.

Without having to be told, Naruto now knew the one rule of Omega.

Don't. Fuck. With Aria.

Aria viewed the scene, from the beaten Batarians to the corpse on the floor, to the one who was responsible. The entire time she didn't say a word. She didn't have to. Scanning over the blue liquid covering the fallen Batarian's face, Aria narrowed her eyes at the bartender, who all but wilted under her gaze. Catching Aria's attention was rarely a good thing on Omega, something the bartender looked to know all too well.

The nerve, she thought. How dare this incompetent poison her customers right under her nose? A slight on her guests was a slight on her, and she wasn't one to let even the little things go, let alone this.

With a snap of her fingers, two Turian guards rushed to her side. "You know what to do." She commanded, and the guards went to work. The first leapt over the counter and grabbed the bartender, making no attempt to be gentle. The second went behind the bar and ducked low, searching for any additional poison. When he found another blue vial after a few seconds of searching, he held it up to the Batarian.

"Is this what you gave the kid?" The Batarian nodded furiously, not daring to lie further.

The Turian nodded, uncapping the vial and holding it out for him. "Drink it."

Whatever color the Batarian had left vanished in a flash, and he began begging for mercy. The Turian seemed about ready to force it down his throat when Aria approached the bar, setting an arm on the counter.

"_Don't_ waste any more of my time." She warned.

The dead man froze, looking back at the vial. Without any doubt, he knew he was going to die. The choice was now his: a quick death now, or defy Aria and suffer worse than he could imagine.

Slowly, with a shaky hand, the bartender reached for the vial and brought it to his lips. Casting one last glance at Aria, who tilted her head to tell him to drink, he closed his eyes and tipped the vial, letting the poison slide down his throat without a fuss. The crowd watched on for a minute as the Batarian quivered in place, waiting for the poison to take effect. They didn't have to wait long. A moment later he hacked up whatever was left in his stomach and fell to the floor, thrashing wildly for a minute longer before falling silent.

Satisfied, Aria turned towards the last conscious participant in the brawl. Meeting her gaze with an intensity to match, the blonde didn't back down, even if the survivalist part of his mind was telling him it would be best. Opening his mouth, he was quickly cut off.

"Don't speak." She briskly commanded, as if the thought alone made her want to scrub herself clean. Instead, she turned to the Commander. "Keep your dog on a leash, don't let this happen again." With that, she strode back to her balcony, ordering her guards to clean up the mess. The crowd, clearly used to the occasional disturbance, each went back to their own thing when the show was over.

The Commander turned to his squad. "We're leaving." He commanded, and the two quickly followed him outside of the Afterlife. Once they were a safe distance, the Commander turned to Naruto. "I'm almost afraid to ask, but what the hell happened back there?"

"Not my fault. I was provoked." Naruto stuck by his excuse verbatim.

"I told you to keep a low profile, and you manage to start a barfight?"

"It's a good thing I did, or I'd have taken that poison." Naruto said darkly. He hadn't been on Omega for more than an hour and already he'd had someone try to assassinate him, beat up a gang of Batarians and help stop the human poisoning conspiracy. Back home they might have given him a medal for all that.

Shepard shook his head disapprovingly. "Nevermind, we have more important things to worry about now. But in the future try and keep out of trouble."

He had no idea what an impossible thing he was asking.

"Doctor Solus is holed up in the slums, which is under quarantine due to a plague that's fatal to everyone except humans and vorcha. Aria's given us permission to go inside to retrieve him. Since we're all Human, the plague won't effect us. There's heavy gang violence in the streets, so we have to keep an eye open for trouble."

Miranda still looked concerned. "Commander, the genetic differences between Naruto and ordinary humans may be great enough to cause a problem. We don't know how his body will react. Taking him in might be a risk to his health."

Naruto gave her a dumb look. "I'm not gonna be taken out by any old gangbanger, let alone a runny nose."

"I looked up the plague before we arrived; it's proven fatal in every case so far. And there isn't a cure either. If you catch it, you won't survive."

"I'm not gonna catch the stupid plague." The blonde affirmed, as if believing was enough to halt reality.

Shepard nodded. "It's a risk, but I don't want to go in without a proper squad. Naruto, are you sure you're willing to take that chance?"

Naruto gave him a cocky smile. "Do I need to remind you again?"

Shepard shook his head. "Fair enough. Let's hurry, from what I hear the street war is putting everyone at risk. I won't accept finding a corpse."

"Roger that, Commander." Miranda affirmed.

"Alright, finally some action! Time for Naruto Uzumaki's grand debut!" Naruto pumped his fist in the air. When he finished, he noticed that that other two hadn't stuck around for his little show. "Hey, wait up!"

The team made their way through the lower levels, and finally to the quarantine zone. After getting the O.K. from the guard, the trio made their way into the quarantined district below.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

This is only half the chapter I'd planned. Originally it was to go all the way through recruiting Mordin, but when it reached 14,000 words I decided to split it in half. So here it is, chapter 3. I don't want these chapters to run on too long, especially early in the story. Chapters over 20,000 words just seem to go on for too long most of the time. I say that now, but I'm sure I'll write something like that eventually.

I'm happy, in that I think I've managed to keep Naruto in character, or at least his essence since he is now an adult veteran with all the fun baggage and responsibilities. Shepard is much easier to write for, at least for now.

I made a mistake in the last A/N. I said that Ninja's can't dodge things moving at FTL speeds, where I was referring to Mass Effect rounds. Someone wrote to correct me that the rounds only move at a fraction of light speed. Still, Shinobi cannot dodge them.

Thank you for your reviews and criticisms. As you may have guessed, the next chapter was the part I cut from this, which is already over halfway done. Will have it up sooner than this one was.

Feedback is appreciated, as always.


	4. Dossier: The Professor

**Chapter 4**

**Dossier: The Professor**

Shepard took a seat in the clinic away from the crowds as he could get as he waited for his time with the Doctor. Naruto sat at his side while Miranda was off asking patients about the rest of the slums, both clearly welcoming the small reprieve from the fighting.

The streets were occupied in a violent melee between the Blood Pack trying to move in on the territory of the Blue Suns members, slowly succumbing to the plague. Despite their feud with each other, either side had no problem with shooting anything else that moved. The Blue Suns did this to protect themselves from others who might be infected. The Blood Pack seemed to do it for fun.

It didn't help them against his team, though. Dysfunctional as they may be there was a reason these two were so highly recommended by the Illusive Man. Miranda's biotics were powerful enough to knock an Elcor off all four feet, and Naruto's speed and strength let him get in close and finish his targets before they could draw a proper bead on him.

After almost an hour of checking corners and assisting what few survivors there seemed to be on the way, the team had finally arrived at Mordin's heavily fortified clinic. The sight of armed guards was a bit of a shock, but it explained just how the salarian had managed to keep his clinic open during all the fighting. It was filled with humans and aliens alike, all seeking treatment for either the plague or from injuries received during the chaos. Sick and wounded lay wherever there was a piece of open floor, with more coming in faster than could be attended to, filling up what little space remained. The clinic seemed more like a refugee camp than a place of healing; no strange thing as right now this place was probably the safest haven in the slums.

Shepard leaned back to stretch his arms, grunting when he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. Looking over, he remembered a vorcha scoring a lucky hit during a firefight. The adrenaline must've kept him from noticing until now.

Noticing the Commander's eyeing his wounded shoulder, Naruto spoke up. "You okay, Shepard?"

Shepard nodded. "I'm fine, just a scratch."

Naruto didn't looked convinced, asking, "Can I take a look at it to be sure?"

"It's nothing."

"That's what they all say." Naruto rolled his eyes. "Just take off the shoulder plate and let me see."

Having quickly learned that getting the blonde to change his mind was more difficult than convincing a krogan that violence wasn't always the answer, the Commander decided there was no harm in letting him check the wound. Removing the armor on his shoulder and exposing the thin undergarment beneath it, he found that there was blood seeping through the cloth. Still, the patch wasn't large and he doubted the wound would have trouble healing on its own. There was no need to waste a medigel here.

"See, nothing to worry about."

Naruto nodded, looking only half convinced. "Yeah, but no reason we can't patch it up while we're waiting."

"I'd rather save our medigel."

"I got it, just leave it to me then."

Shepard was about to ask, but the ANBU didn't give him time as he brought his hands together and flipped through a few practiced hand seals. Breaking his hands apart, they began giving off a faint green glow. Concentrating on maintaining the jutsu Naruto brought one hand to Shepard's shoulder, letting the healing chakra seep through the clothing and straight to the wound.

Shepard eyed where the blonde was touching him as his shoulder began to feel warm, not unlike someone pressing a warm towel against his sore skin. They stayed like this for a minute until Naruto was satisfied, nodding as he removed his hand. Rolling his shoulder to test it, Shepard didn't feel any pain. "What did you do?

Naruto smiled, "A basic healing jutsu. The chakra promotes cell regeneration and apoptosis. Basically I'm helping the wound heal faster. It's one of the qualifications I had to earn to become an ANBU Captain."

Shepard nodded, reattaching his shoulder plate. "Pretty useful stuff. I didn't catch that in your dossier. Are you a medic?"

Naruto laughed lamely. "No way in hell! It took me forever to get my chakra control up to the level just for that jutsu, and that's one of the easiest medical jutsu there is. Precision's not really my thing."

"I see. So what else can you do?"

Naruto grinned. This was his favorite subject. "Well, you already saw sage mode, shadow clones and rasengan. I haven't shown you all my variants, but those aren't really meant for small places…I specialize in wind jutsus and I've spent a lot of time practicing earth and water styles. Haven't tried lightning yet, I'm still learning the theory. Fire style I'm passable, but if I ever use it make sure you're far out of the way, just in case." He chuckled. He didn't list the summoning technique. He'd tried earlier in the cargo hold and found that even he didn't have enough chakra to cover the light years of distance needed to call the summoning.

"That's a lot of firepower." Shepard commented, not even noticing the pun. "Sounds like a lot of hard work."

Naruto grimaced. "You have no idea. My chakra naturally works best with wind style, so I had to work hard to use the others. The shadow clones helped a lot, though. I'd use a lot of them to practice and then when I'd dispel them, I'd gain everything they'd learned. If it wasn't for that, I'd probably still be stuck on earth jutsu."

"Fascinating!"

Naruto's head whipped to the side, leaping back when he saw a face uncomfortably close to his. His hand was stroking his chin as the salarian carefully examined the blonde. Miranda stood a distance behind the scientist, watching things unfold with little interest.

"Utilizing mass effect fields to speed natural recovery of minor wounds. Process differs from standard medigel application. No materials required." The salarian took a sharp breath. "Unheard of. Can staunch bleeding with controlled stasis field, cannot encourage controlled growth at this speed. Possible for Asari perhaps. Secret government project? Unlikely. Human test subject. No no. Not natural biotics. Human experiment? Improbable. Human biotic program too inexperienced. Advanced research unlikely."

The salarian activated his omnitool and began scanning the stunned young man, who was too busy trying to process what was happening to complain. "Admittedly rather ignorant of recent biotic developments. Have been focusing on xenobiology. Possible I may have missed-!"

The alien froze, staring at the results of his scan with giant eyes the size of dinner plates. For several seconds the salarian was absolutely silent. Naruto would remember this as one of the few times in his life that he would ever see the scientist at a loss for words.

Looking back at the blonde, the alien found his voice, "Natural biotic-no. Body _produces_ element zero. Creates it." The scientist took several careful steps towards the blonde, as if he was concerned approaching the creature too quickly would cause him to startle and run away before he could catch him. "What_ are _you?"

Shepard watched with a small grin as the scientist stared down the blonde, who was looking more fidgety by the second. Turning to Shepard, he silently pleaded for rescue from the madman. Shaking his head Shepard spoke, "Professor Mordin Solus?"

The question broke Mordin's stare as he turned to the Commander, cutting the blonde loose for now. "Apologies, must have greetings. Humans. Curious, don't recognize you from area. Too well armed to be refugees, no mercenary uniform, quarantine still in effect."

The Professor began to stroll along the hallway, sharing his never ending train of thought without inhibition, "Here for something else? Vorcha? Unlikely, vorcha a symptom, not a cause. The plague! Investigating possible use as bio-weapon. No. No, no. Too many guns, not enough data equipment. Soldiers, not scientists yes! Yes! Hired guns? Maybe. Looking for someone? Yes! Yes! But who?"

Watching as the Professor became increasingly animated as he neared the answer, Shepard decided to interrupt. "I'm Commander Shepard and I came here to find you. I'm on a critical mission and I need your help."

Mordin was taken aback and quickly shook his head. "Mission? What mission? No, no no no. Too busy. Clinic understaffed. Plague spreading too fast. Who sent you?"

Shepard had been prepared for that question. He couldn't be sure how Mordin would react to their sponsor, and he couldn't afford to not have him on the team. Without a way to counteract the seeker swarms, the entire mission would have to be scrapped. For now, it was best to leave Cerberus out of this. "It's a covert and privately funded human group." Shepard said, making a big mistake in underestimating the Professor.

Mordin stopped, and looked the Commander dead in the eye. The second Shepard stopped speaking, Mordin began, "Related to plague? Doesn't affect humans, human centric interest. Few human groups would know me. Equipment suggests military origin. Not standard issue. Spectres…not human. Terra Firma too unstable. Only one option."

Mordin took another sharp breath and fixed the Commander a sharp, predatory glare. "Cerberus sent you. Unexpected."

'_There goes that plan.'_ Thought Shepard, wary of the untrusting look Mordin was giving him. "I'm impressed you figured that out so fast."

"Symbol on human female's uniform. Also very informative."

Shepard sighed as Miranda paused, subtly trying not to look guilty. Still, everything about Cerberus, including their symbol was classified from the general public, so how did he know. "You're very well informed. How did a salarian scientist hear about Cerberus?"

Mordin's aura grew noticeably darker. "Crossed paths on occasion. Thought they only worked with humans. Why request salarian aid?"

Shepard steeled himself, this was it. "I'm on a mission to shut down the Collectors, and I need your help."

The dark look Mordin had been giving him vanished as quickly as it came, and the Professor was now back to pacing as he thought. "Collectors? Intersting. Plague hitting these slums is engineered. Collectors one of few groups with technology to design it. Our goals may be similar." Mordin paused for a moment before walking away, forcing Shepard's team to catch up as they entered his workplace. "But must stop plague first! Already have cure. Need to distribute it at environmental control center. Vorcha guarding it. Need to kill them."

Mordin cast a glance at Shepard, silently pleading for his assistance. He couldn't afford to leave the clinic unguarded and he was needed here to help the massive influx of patients. Coming to a silent agreement, the Commander nodded. "I'll get in and deal with the vorcha."

Whatever response Mordin would have made was cut off by a sharp hissing from the ceiling. Looking around, Miranda's eyes were drawn to the vents. "Some sort of equipment malfunction?

Mordin appeared even more anxious than before. Tapping his omnitool fervently he spoke, "Vorcha have shut down environmental systems! Trying to kil everyone. Need to get power back on before district suffocates." Holding out a large tube to the Commander, he continued, "Here, take plague cure. One more thing. Daniel. One of my assistants. Went into vorcha territory. Looking for victims. Hasn't come back." Mordin finished, once again asking the Commander for his help.

Nodding, Shepard said, "We'll look for him on the way. Let's head to the environmental control center."

Nodding in thanks, Mordin turned to Naruto. "Please come back alive. Wish to study. If dead please preserve corpse. Better than nothing" Noticing the wary stare the blonde was giving him, he pulled out a Carnifex. This did not help Naruto's nerves.

"Alive would be preferable. Here, weapon in good faith." He said, handing the blonde the Hand Cannon. "Weapon from dead blue suns mercs. Could come in handy. Please. Live." He said more to the blonde than his squadmates.

Watching as Naruto gripped his gift, he gave the order to move out. "Let's move people. If we don't turn those fans back on in time we're all dead."

Nodding, the two followed Shepard out of the clinic.

* * *

><p>Naruto and Miranda took cover beside the door leading into the environmental control center as Shepard got into position to breach. Both had their machine pistols at the ready as Shepard cradled his Avenger. Giving the two the go ahead, Miranda opened the door. The moment it parted both Naruto and Miranda stepped inside, checking the corners as Shepard aimed straight ahead.<p>

All three didn't have to look far to find something to aim at. The room was alive with well over a dozen vorcha guarding the fans. The second the three walked through the door one vorcha stormed forward addressing him in an angry screech "Graaah! You no come here! We shut down machines, break fans! Everyone choke and die, then Collectors make us strong!"

Shepard smirked, vorcha never were very bright. Without him having to say a word, the vorcha had already admitted to working for the collectors. Perfect. "What do the Collectors want?"

The vorcha gave a dry animalistic hiss. "Collectors want plague! You work for doctor! Turn on machines, put cure in air! We kill you first! AAAAAH!"

The three dove for cover behind a large block as the vorcha began to fire, spraying rounds all around them. Peeking out, Shepard lined up a shot with his rifle and fired, putting a good burst right in the lead vorcha's chest. Not giving him time to recover, the Commander fired another volley at his head, something even a vorcha couldn't regenerate from.

"Why is it that every alien I've met wants to hurt me?!" Naruto asked angrily as he fired a quick burst from cover, missing all vorcha downrange. Cursing, he put in another thermal clip and fired again.

Miranda fired another burst before ducking back under cover as she heard fire from her left. Turning she saw more vorcha approaching from the alley ramp. "Commander, we're being flanked." She told him calmly as she reloaded her weapon.

Noting their position, the Commander pointed at the vorcha in front of them. "Miranda, pull! Get ready to move!" Shepard commanded. Miranda rolled out of cover and glowed blue with dark energy, firing a pulse at the two remaining vorcha near the controls. Both were hit and thrashed wildly as they floated in midair. Shepard and Naruto both leapt over the barrier and ran towards the controls after Miranda, firing at the floating vorcha as they went. Moments later the two vorcha collapsed on the ground unmoving.

"Miranda, Naruto, cover me." Shepard instructed as the two kneeled behind a barrier to fire on any vorcha that would approach. Stepping up to the controls, Shepard took the cure out from his pack and inserted it into the dispersal system. As the light lit up to show the cure was ready for dispersal, he turned to the computer terminal to activate the fans.

"Take cover!" Miranda shouted.

Shepard turned in time to catch sight of the approaching missile heading right at him. Diving to the side, he just barely missed being caught in the impact as the missile hit the terminal, which exploded in a shower of sparks. Shaking himself as he picked himself up, he made his way back to his squad behind cover as more vorcha approached.

"Should've brought some bigger toys." Naruto growled as another missile impacted to the sides.

"This should do." Shepard stored his avenger and unfolded his Mantis sniper rifle, glancing at the balcony to the vorcha with the missile launcher. "Covering fire!" Shepard ordered as he emerged from cover to line up his shot. His squadmates both opened fire on the vorcha in the balcony, but the vorcha was too quick. Before Shepard could take the shot, the vorcha fired, sending another missile right at them.

"Shadow clone jutsu!"

A puff of smoke emerged beside them and out leapt a copy of the blonde ninja, jumping straight at the missile. The clone and the missile met in midair, exploding in a cloud of smoke and fire. The Commander took his chance when the missile detonated having lined up his shot, and fired straight through the blast. Looking past his scope he waited until the smoke had dispersed to see if the round found its mark. After a couple of seconds the haze had lifted revealing a limp vorcha hanging over the railing, his launcher fallen to the ground.

Falling back behind cover as another pair of vorcha ran up the walkways and began to fire he spoke, "They took out the terminal, but the cure's ready to be dispersed so we'll have to do this manually. The two fans are on either side of us, and we have to get both of them up and running to disperse the cure. We'll work our way around the walkway to the first one, then make our way back to the second. Move quickly, every second counts."

Naruto narrowed his eyes taking a quick look at the walkway. No matter which way they went they risked being flanked by vorcha coming up on the other side. Taking a look at the wall connecting the two platforms, he had an idea.

"Shepard, let me take the one on the right. I'll run up the wall and hit them from behind." He suggested.

The older man looked from the blonde to the railing, and shook his head. "No, you're not going in alone. There's too many."

Naruto grinned, forming a familiar cross seal. "You should know by now Shepard, I'm never alone."

Shepard paused, thinking it over. It would have the element of surprise, and the vorcha on that walkway would be too focused on him and his clones to worry about flanking Miranda and himself. And he could feel the air getting thinner. They needed to get the fans on fast, or there'd be too little oxygen left to fight.

"Alright, once you're over there keep to cover and get their attention while we make our way to the first fan. Cover us while we move up, then move to the second fan."

"Got it!"

"Good. Miranda, let's move up!"

"Copy that!"

Miranda and Shepard leapt from cover and made their way up the field as Naruto sprayed fire at the vorcha at the other end, his shots forcing the vorcha to take cover. On their way up Miranda fired a warp at one of the vorcha, causing him to twist and contort before following up a throw. The biotic detonation blasted him and two other vorcha over the platforms into the chasm below.

Once the two were in cover near the walkways Naruto clipped his Shuriken back to his belt and pulled out his ANBU blade and his Carnifex. Running at the wall as he'd done towards a tree in the Land of Waves all those years ago, the blonde ran up the wall and turned sharply making his way to the right platform. When he was above it he spotted two vorcha directly below the entrance. Releasing the chakra in his feet he let himself fall, channeling chakra into his blade as he descended. As he landed he slashed through the first vorcha leaving a trail of white chakra with his swing and aimed his Carnifex at the second's head before pulling the trigger. A loud bang echoed throughout the room as the vorcha's head reared back, the force of the round lifting him into the air before falling to the floor.

Looking first down the walkway and then into the fan control room, he saw five vorcha still on the walkway and one left in the room. The vorcha didn't flinch at the surprise deaths of their comrades as their one-track minds were already set on one thing: kill.

Rolling towards the vorcha in the room he sweeped the legs to send him to the floor before slicing cleanly through with his blade. Ducking beside the entrance as the five remaining vorcha began to fire, he grinned to himself as he formed a familiar cross seal.

Four clones emerged on either side of him, all taking out their Shuriken machine pistols. Grinning to themselves when the vorcha guns paused, the five leapt out in a line in front of the control room entrance, each aiming their weapons at the reloading vorcha ready to rain hell down on them.

"Ninja art: firing squad jutsu!" He shouted as the five squeezed the trigger.

Only one gun fired, the other four went _click_.

There was a pause.

_clickclickclick_

Four stone faced clones each checked their heat sinks and indeed they all had fresh clips in them. The guns just wouldn't fire. Blinking as the four each heard the faint beeping of their omnitools, they checked only to see that their shield levels were at zero. The four looked up in unison as the vorcha finished reloading.

"Shiiiiiit."

Five vorcha rifles roared to life as they tore through the clones with ease, leaving only the original remaining as he rushed back to cover. But there were too many rounds on him, and by the time he was back they dropped his shields and landed two good hits, one on his upper left arm and the back of his right thigh.

Dropping behind cover, Naruto cursed to himself as the vorcha laughed as they continued to fire. Activating his omnitool while his shields recharged, he linked to Shepard and Miranda. "Hey you two, I got a problem! You almost at the fan?"

"Picking off the last few now. What's your status?" Came Shepard's voice.

"My shadow clones didn't appear with working guns and shields. The vorcha tore right through them!"

"Guns and shields?" This time it was Miranda.

"Yeah, they didn't work!"

"Miranda, you have some idea?" Shepard asked.

A pause, "…Both of their systems require mass effect technology and element zero."

"I know that, what do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"It may be that you can't properly clone mass effect technology. The element zero will throw off your cloning process, making the copies defective."

"Oh, well isn't that just great." Naruto grit his teeth. "There goes that plan."

"Can you hold?" Shepard asked. "For now you've got their attention, we're not being flanked. We'll get the fan here and then hit them from behind."

Naruto affirmed, "Yeah, I'll be fine. I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve."

After a full minute of firing, the vorcha's guns finally stopped firing to change the heat sinks. Seizing his chance, the blonde leapt out into the open, flipping through a set of seals he'd seen an old friend perform many times long ago.

"Fire style: great fireball jutsu!"

Taking in a lot of air and holding it in his lungs as he mixed it with his chakra, he leaned forward and let it out, igniting the chakra as it left his lips. A wild unstable fireball flew down the walkway incinerating any vorcha stupid enough to have been reloading out of cover. One unfortunate pyro was halfway across the platform when the blonde launched the fireball, burning him alive before the pack on his back blew up from the pressure, blowing him to bits and blasting one of his unfortunate kin over the edge.

Wiping off the smudges of ash around his lips as the flames continued to linger, Naruto closed his eyes and tried feeling using his other senses. He could hear the few remaining vorcha's violent hissing voices from a distance; there seemed to be only two left. They didn't seem to be coming closer. For a moment there was a lull in the action.

Then he felt something making its way towards him. A pair of powerful footsteps shook the very floor with each stride. The heavy clank against the metal floor sent a shiver down his spine. Whatever it was, this thing was big.

But the blonde was far from helpless. Injured perhaps, but nothing he couldn't shrug off with a little willpower, and willpower was something he had in spades. Gripping his machine pistol in one hand and his hand cannon in the other, Naruto stood firm ready to meet his next opponent.

Emerging from the flames just a stone throw away and closing was one of the most hulking and menacing creatures that walked the known galaxy, a fully grown krogan. Donned in full battle armor weighing nearly a ton, the creature was more like a tank than a soldier, and Naruto was about to find this out firsthand.

Pulling the triggers on both weapons, he fired straight at the oncoming krogan. Both weapons roared to life as they unleashed as storm of high speed rounds. But with each hit he took the krogan's grin only seemed to spread, his eyes widening with excitement. With a mighty cry the krogan took off charging at the War Hero.

Halfway through the charge the blonde's weapons went click, their thermal clips at capacity. With no time to reload, the blonde threw them aside and prepared to meet the krogan head on. With a shout of his own the blonde rushed forward, meeting the krogan in the field.

And in doing so, he learned why it was such a bad idea to charge a krogan.

The krogan smashed the blonde sending him flying backwards until he slid to a stop on the floor. Shaking his head, he managed to stand before the krogan reached him.

'_Okay…head on attacks not such a good idea._' He thought to himself, pulling out a pair of kunai and gripping them in each hand.

The krogan charge again, enjoying the melee too much to even think about pulling a gun. Naruto rolled to the side as the krogan charged past him, infusing a kunai with wind chakra and slashing through his leg armor as he did. But it wasn't deep, and his opponent didn't even seem to notice. Now in close the krogan threw punch after punch, with Naruto swifly ducking and dodging every one he could. Bringing his arm high, the krogan brought it down hard on the blonde who blocked it with crossed kunai. Lining them with more wind chakra he slashed upwards, cutting the arm before slamming both kunai into the krogan's chest, then keeping a grip on the hilts flipped up and over the krogan until his feet touched the back of his head. Gathering all the strength he could Naruto kicked out hard, sending the krogan toppling forward onto his chest, driving the kunai in deeper with the force of his fall.

Naruto grunted as he rolled out of the fall, his head still ringing from the krogan charge. Arching his back, he was happy to find that the damage was mostly surface deep. A few cracked ribs, but nothing actually broken. Definitely a good thing, even with the fox's healing factor broken bones could take over a day to properly mend if it was bad enough.

Walking over to the fallen krogan, he couldn't help but admire the raw power the alien had possessed. Even without sage mode he was worthy of his S-rank status, so for a krogan to do so much damage to him with a single attack was something to be commended. Still, he was too slow to use that power against him, and that was something he would happily exploit.

"Hehehe…"

Naruto could feel his blood run cold as he heard that deep chuckle. Turning, he saw the krogan rising to his feet, a feral grin on his face. The two kunai were buried to the ring in his chest, but the alien didn't even seem to notice. If anything, he seemed to be even more excited than before. And then Naruto remembered where he'd heard of this, somewhere in the files on the omnitool.

Krogans were famed for their victories during the Rachni Wars, where they were able to weather intolerable conditions to defeat their enemies. Then they fought the entire galaxy to a standstill hundreds of years later. The krogan were creatures engrossed in battle and war, many unable to live without it. They lived it. They loved it. And it was only during the best of fights that the true terror of the krogan would emerge.

Blood rage.

"Not bad for a human." He said, his enormous mouth stretched into a feral grin. His mouth grew so wide that Naruto noticed how easily his head would fit inside. "I will enjoy breaking you."

The krogan charged the surprised blonde again, breaking his guard and catching him by the throat. Holding him up in the air triumphantly, he laughed as Naruto tried to break his grip. Finding no success he pulled out his sword and jabbed it straight through the krogan's arm. But it had the opposite effect, instead the krogan just laughed louder. "That's right, fight harder. Give me a real fight!"

Rearing his other arm, he bashed the blonde across the face twice before letting go on the third, letting him fly through the air back into the control room. Coughing up some blood Naruto rose to his feet, a little shakier than before. The krogan ripped the blade out of his arm and tossed it aside, charging at the blonde once more. Trapped alone in a cramped space with a raging krogan. Things really couldn't get much worse.

Thinking quickly as the berserker rushed him much faster than before he used the body switch technique to trade places with a metal chair laying by the wall. He watched as the krogan crashed into the building, crushing the chair and leaving a large dent in the metal wall. Running back to his blade he grabbed it and his hand cannon, replacing the thermal clip as the krogan readied himself again.

"You'll need more than that!"

Before the krogan could charge again, the sound of gunfire erupted through the control room. An assault rifle unleashed dozens of rounds at the berserker who brought his hand up to shield his face. After a full thermal clip was spent, a sharp clinging sound signaled its ejection.

The owner of the rifle made his way into the room, looking worn, torn and pissed as hell. His white and yellow armor looked like it'd been dragged through a minefield, and the man himself looked even worse. Parts of his face looked like it'd been blown off only to have been sloppily put back together by a drunken surgeon. But just at a glance Naruto could tell this was a man who didn't give a rat's ass about any of that, or anything else for that matter.

Surveying the room with his good eye, the Mercenary grunted at the blonde before giving the krogan a dirty look, who looked only too happy to have fresh meat. With a dark gleam in his eyes, he reached behind his back and pulled out the missile launcher scavenged from the fallen vorcha.

"Fry you son of a bitch!"

The krogan had no time to dodge as the aged man pulled the trigger, sending the missile straight at the berserker. The explosion echoed in the cramped room, sending dust and debris everywhere. Naruto brought his hand up to shield his already beaten face. Even as the last of the debris was settling and the smoke was still thick the Mercenary charged forward, taking out a trench knife as he rushed into the smoke.

What happened next Naruto couldn't see, and from what he would hear he would be thankful he didn't. Somehow the krogan had survived the blast, but from the screams he probably wished he hadn't. Screams that seemed more appropriate for a broken lunatic filled the room as the krogan, so proud and angry moments before fell to a sniveling broken soul, begging for mercy.

"MY CROWN! ANYTHING BUT MY CROWN!"

The screams continued accompanied by many disgusting squirting and sawing sounds as the Mercenary continued to work, until after nearly a minute of harsh cries the room went silent. Keeping his blade firmly in his grip he was prepared for whatever came out. Out of the haze Naruto could see the silhouette of the Mercenary emerging from the smoke, carrying his two kunai in one hand and the krogan's bloody crown in the other.

Turning to the War Hero, the Mercenary tossed him his kunai, which he skillfully caught by the rings. How thoughtful. Noticing the blonde's gaze on his prize, the man simply tossed it aside like a used tissue. "Bloody winers, the lot. You go for their fancy crown and they'll lick their own ass to get you to stop."

not interested in hearing more about it. "Who are you, old man?"

"Your goddamn nanny, apparently."

"So you're a friend?"

"Do I look like your friend?"

"No." Naruto replied bluntly.

"Then I'm not your friend. But I'm not being paid to kill you, so close enough."

Naruto nodded warily, quickly pulling the lever to activate the fans before following the Mercenary out of the room back to the central platform passing the charred corpses of the vorcha he'd burned and the pair Zaeed had shot. When they arrived, they saw Shepard and Miranda who just finished their side as well. Upon seeing the newcomer Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Zaeed Massani?"

Naruto gave him a quizzical look. "You know this guy?"

"Not personally. What happened to your face."

"Charged a krogan." He replied dryly as he formed some familiar seals, using his healing technique to speed up healing his face.

Zaeed took a step towards the Commander, sizing up the man famous for saving the Galaxy two years ago. "You must be Commander Shepard. I hear we have a Galaxy to save."

Shepard nodded, "Something like that. I ran across your dossier earlier; I understand that the Illusive Man has hired you on for the mission. I assume you been briefed?"

"I've done my homework. Cerberus sent me everything I needed to know."

Shepard crossed his arms as Zaeed stared darkly at him. Normally he never trusted anyone who'd been hired to fight for him. Genuine loyalty, the kind that was actually worth something, could never be bought. But Zaeed Massani was infamous across the Terminus Systems. His loyalty was to the credit, and to his reputation. The man had never gone back on a deal. Not once. "What's your relationship with Cerberus?"

"Easy. Cerberus is paying me a lot of money to help you on your mission. That's the long and short."

"Not many mercs would take a suicide mission for the pay."

"Most mercs don't get an offer like the one Cerberus sent me. This mission doesn't sound like good business, but your Illusive Man can move a lot of credits."

Shepard nodded, understanding that so long as the man got his pay, they wouldn't have to worry about their Mercenary jumping ship. Offering his hand, the aged gun for hire shook it roughly. "Good to have you, Zaeed. We have a lot to do."

"That's what they tell me. I assume the Illusive man told you about our arrangement." He said, looking at Shepard expectantly.

"No, I guess he decided to leave that information out of the dossier."

"Good thing I asked." Zaeed began, pacing a small distance.

"Picked up a mission a little while back, just before I signed on with Cerberus. Thought you might be interested. You heard the name Vido Sandiago? He's the head of the Blue Suns, runs the whole organization. He's made some dangerous enemies who would like to see a change in leadership."

Shepard sighed inwardly. There was always a catch. Still, if the man was half of what the stories made him to be, it'd be worth a small distraction. "I'll make sure we get that done. Any idea where he is?"

"When I find him, I'll let you know."

"Then find him fast. For now we focus on the mission."

"Good. Get it outta the way so we can concentrate on being big goddamn heroes." Finished, Zaeed, made his way towards the exit, unconcerned with braving the violent slums of Omega alone. "I'll be locked and loaded next time you're ready to get some killing done."

The War Hero watched him leave, scowling. "Just what we needed, two psychos for the price of one."

Letting Naruto's words sink in Shepard reached for his belt and pulled out a bottle of aspirin. Shaking two out, he gulped them down without a word.

* * *

><p>Naruto sat at the end of the walkway leading to the Normandy's eezo core, an area which he'd claimed as his own since first arriving aboard the Normandy. On the railings hung various scrolls he'd brought in a summoning scroll ranging from secret jutsu to chakra theory to old ninja tales. His weapons lay before him on a piece of cloth freshly cleaned and sharpened. Having finished his maintenance Naruto was sitting cross-legged on the blanket-covered floor. Breathing deeply, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the strange warmth the core seemed to provide him.<p>

When he'd asked Miranda why the core seemed to feel so different from the rest of the ship when no one else seemed to notice, she'd explained the theory of his relationship to his homeworld. Apparently his planet was rich with element zero, so rich that it was needed for his species' survival. Earlier in their evolutionary line, his people may have had to draw eezo from the land itself to function properly. While now his body naturally produced its own specialized isotope of eezo which he knew as chakra, he was still subconsciously recognizing areas with a higher concentration of the substance even if it was no longer necessary for survival. Of course this was just a theory Cerberus had developed while observing his people, but it was the best one he had.

When he'd taken time to think about it the theory had also explained how he'd been able to enter sage mode, and why animals on his world seemed so much more adept with natural energy than humans. It wasn't something that had to be learned, it was something that all humans instinctively knew long ago, but was forgotten somewhere in their evolutionary line. He simply worked to reawaken that power and added onto it by mixing it with the energy his body created.

So this natural energy he'd been mixing with his own chakra could be natural element zero. If it was, it may provide a scientific explanation for many of the advantages of sage mode. Perhaps he didn't gain super strength and was simply using eezo to manipulate mass effect fields to add more force to his punches, or to take away mass from his targets making his hits more devastating. But thinking about all the different possibilities started giving him a headache after a while. He'd think more on it when he learned more about biotics. For now, it didn't matter how it happened, the effects were the same: he could lift heavy things and hit really hard.

The only downside to this was that since not all areas in the Galaxy were rich in element zero, there would be places he wouldn't be able to gather enough to enter sage mode. While it was a drawback, it wasn't completely damning to him. He still had his body's naturally generated chakra, and he had plenty of powerful jutsus in his arsenal.

Naruto was brought back to reality when he heard footsteps on the walkway. Looking over his shoulder, his face visibly paled when he saw Mordin Solus approaching him with an excited grin on his tight features. So excited it made Naruto worried the salarian scientist was about to try dissecting him.

"Naruto, glad you are well. Wish to thank you personally for Daniel and clinic assistance."

"Huh? Oh, no problem." Naruto remembered rescuing Daniel from the batarians, something he was more than glad they were able to do. Mordin had also asked for his help patching up a few minor wounds with his healing technique when they'd returned so he could finish faster. He was happy to help, but he'd caught the scientist watching him out of the corner of his eye more than once.

"Yes yes. Very useful. Sped up discharge rate. More time for critical cases." Mordin brought his hand to his chin to ponder, "Could be used on species beside human? Possible. Healing utilizes eezo. Facilitates cell growth. Likely compatible with carbon lifeforms. Compatible with dextros? Hazardous, potentially fatal. Must test first. Hmm. No dextro species aboard. Test later."

If Mordin remained the only salarian Naruto would ever meet, he would forever remain under the impression that salarians did not need to breathe.

"For now focus on testing genetic dissimilarities. Need samples." Mordin paused, pulling out a syringe and a test tube. Seeing the blonde's eyes widen with fear, he tried to placate him. "Not overly invasive. Blood draw and tissue sample only. Will compare to Shepard's."

Naruto paused, asking, "You're comparing my DNA to Shepard?"

"Yes. Shepard model specimin of human biology. Will make good control group."

"And he agreed to this?" He asked warily.

"Of course. Samples in lab now. Cooperation not an issue." Mordin smiled.

Naruto looked uneasy with the thought of letting the salarian mad scientist coming anywhere near him let alone with something pointy, but if Shepard was okay with it he wasn't going to complain. Besides, he wanted to find out what differences they had almost as bad as Mordin did.

"If this'll get me out of being strapped to a lab table." Naruto sighed as he rolled up his sleeve.

Mordin gasped. "No no no! No harmful tests on species with members capable of calculus! Simple rule, never broke it."

Naruto had a small laugh at Mordin's comment. Mordin didn't understand why, but considered it irrelevant. Sticking out his arm, the ANBU closed his eyes. "Have at it."

With a wide smile the scientist skillfully drew a syringe full of blood, slapping a bandage on the puncture so quickly that he didn't even notice it beginning to mend. For the best, Naruto thought. He didn't want the salarian even more excited to examine every inch of him than he already was.

Nodding at the full syringe as he stored it in a plastic bag, he said, "Now for tissue sample. Might feel a pinch." He pulled out a set of tweezers.

_Pluck!_

"OW!" Naruto yelled as the salarian slipped a rather large sampling of blonde hair into the test tube.

Satisfied, the Professor nodded, "Thank you. Will inform you of results."

Biting his tongue as he settled down, Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You're testing it now? What about the countermeasure Shepard has you working on."

The salarian's eyes lit up. "Oh yes, countermeasure under development. Should have results within standard day."

The blonde blinked. They'd only gotten back to the Normandy two days ago. The genius worked fast. "Wow…so I guess this'll keep you from getting bored, huh?"

He nodded. "Yes yes yes. Also assisting Doctor Chakwas with surgical procedures. Going there now. Was going to ask, would you assist? Healing technique useful in restoring damaged tissue. Repairing surgical incisions. Increase odds of success."

Naruto blinked, never in his life having ever expected to actually help with a surgery. "You sure? It's only a basic technique, don't you have stuff that's just as good?"

"Yes yes, but involves foreign chemicals. Preferable for heightened natural recovery. Safer for patient."

Blushing slightly, the blonde grinned. With all his concerns of being turned into a human test subject, he'd almost forgotten that this alien had willingly risked his life in the plague infested slums of Omega to help people when no one else would. It was nice to finally see that side of him showing. "Of course! The guy did get injured saving my life."

Mordin smiled. "Appreciated. This was during recruitment?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah. He got hit by snipers while Shepard came to rescue me."

"Interesting. Tell me on the way." Mordin said, leading the way back to the elevator.

Grinning, Naruto caught up and walked beside Mordin, sharing the story of his first daring escape with the Commander as they made their way to the medical bay.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

The secret to writing Mordin: fragmented sentences, fewer articles and pronouns and never us "the" :D

For those of you who still feel that I haven't given Naruto a real chance to be a badass, two words: next chapter.

Jutsus will be in English. I like being able to understand a jutsu during a fic without having to scroll to the bottom of the page.

Hope the explanation on how chakra relates to mass effect fields and element zero makes sense. If I somehow royally blotched something let me know so I can fix it. Unlike Bioware, I don't have the money to make my pseudoscience as accurate as possible.

I've thought about what kind of jutsu Naruto should have, and I wanted to give him a good arsenal since he'll be the only crew member who can use them. That's what I love so much about the Mass Effect 2 crew. Each member brings a different specialty to the team. Naruto's is ninja arts, so I decided that by now he'd have a varied arsenal.

The thing with Naruto not being able to clone Mass Effect technology is due in part to needing to keep him balanced. Imagine having an army of shadow clones in an instant each armed with a Cain. We all know Naruto would do it. Ninja art: everything dies in many fiery mushroom clouds jutsu!

I received a few comments on about the nine tails last chapter. In this story they aren't friends. I liked it better when their relationship was more antagonistic, with each trying to control the other. More fun, more possibilities. So yes I'm read up on the manga, I just don't care about it. Shippuden as a whole is full of problems, more than I feel like ranting about. For the most part, most of the stuff after the Pain arc doesn't apply here.

Okay, this is getting way to long. More later. Thank you all for your positive feedback and criticisms. I try to get back to everyone, but know that I am listening to anyone pointing out flaws. I do want to improve, and I also enjoy it when someone is pleased with what I've written, so I thank you all for your help.


	5. Dossier: The Vigilante

**Chapter 5**

**Dossier: The Vigilante**

* * *

><p><em>~7 Years Ago~<em>

_Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham!_

Dull thuds echoed throughout the forest clearing as Hinata rained blows on the poor log that was her training partner. Broken bark lay scattered on the grass as the girl continued to strike, fighting off the fatigue that had been building up for the past hour. Pain coursed through her hands which had long since begun to bleed with every blow, but Hinata showed no sign of stopping. Minute after minute she kept attacking, so lost in her training she never noticed the boy not twenty meters away.

Naruto hid nervously behind a tree at the edge of the clearing, unaware of just how reversed their positions were. Watching the Hyuga girl like she'd been watching him for all these years, he took a deep breath...and slumped forward.

'_Why can't this be easy like with Sakura-chan?!_'

Yes, Naruto Uzumaki was trying to ask Hinata Hyuga out on a date. And the thought alone scared the crap out of him!

It really shouldn't. Just one week ago the girl had said she loved him. Hell, she died for him! It was only lucky that Nagato used his life energy to bring her and everyone else back. Since then the two hadn't spoken, half because things had gotten so hectic with repairing the village and half because he felt guilty as hell.

Learning that Hinata had been watching him, admiring him all these years was no small shock. She had looked to him and seen not a failure, not a dead last and definitely not a demon but someone who was willing work to overcome all the prejudice and hatred thrown at him and grown stronger from it. Se saw someone who she could aspire to be like, and who could give her hope that no matter how bad things could be, with enough courage and willpower she could make things right. Before he was a hero who saved the village, before anyone else would even look at him with decency, she had seen _him._

But he never saw her.

She had been that weird girl in the background always twiddling her fingers and looking at her feet. On the rare occasion he would speak to her she could only hope to stutter something coherent if she didn't outright pass out. While he'd spent his time crushing on a girl who had no interest in him and chasing a friend who'd tried to kill him, he completely ignored the one girl who was there, would always be there for him even if he never knew or cared.

But then she said she loved him as she fought a god to protect him. It was the first time he had ever heard someone say they loved him. Sure, he knew Jiraiya had loved him, as did Iruka and his team. But no one had ever said those words to him. Even as he was pinned to the ground with spikes through his body, he felt a warm joy stronger than anything before. This wasn't like the love his friends had for him. This was love, the kind they wrote stories about, and that gave people hope that there was something good and pure in humanity.

Naruto couldn't return those feelings. Hinata deserved more than his lame attempts at reciprocating her words. But he wanted to try and get there. He wanted to know this girl he'd ignored for so long. He wanted to learn to love her the way she loved him. And most of all, he wanted to keep her safe, to make sure she'd never have to hurt or die again.

Taking another breath, the blonde remembered everything he'd learned over the past few days. Going to all his male friends, he'd tried to get their advice on how to ask a girl out.

Yamato, using his scary face, "_Treat her well or there will be consequences._"

Sai, "_Hmm. I don't think Hinata is into girls._"

Kakashi, after stopping him from killing Sai, "_Here, take this. All answers lie within._"

After throwing the little orange book in an incinerator, Gai, "_Oh the joyous springtime of youth!"_

Saluting, Lee, "_Yosh! You must approach Hinata-chan and promise to protect her with your life!_"

"_Well spoken my precious student!_"

"_Gai-sensei!_"

"_Lee-kun!"_

Leaving the pair to their cuddling, he saw a murderous overprotective Neji, _"Naruto...what are your intentions towards my cousin?!_"

After somehow outrunning the Hyuga, he ran right into Choji, "_Oi, watch it Naruto! Eh, advice on asking Hinata out? There's a new all you can eat shellfish buffet! Ask her there!"_

Shikamaru, "_Don't, Hinata doesn't like shellfish. Ah, you want my advice? That's your problem. Your love life is too troublesome for me_."

"_Naruto! Get back here!_" Neji shouted, this time with Hyuga reinforcements.

After hiding from the mob in one of the Inuzuka dog kennels, he saw Kiba, "_Hey, get outta there! That's Akamaru's bed!_"

"_Arf!_"

"_Wait, asking Hinata out? So you finally noticed, huh Naruto? BWAHAHAHA!"_

Ignoring his friend, Shino, "_She likes red bean soup and cinnamon rolls. Here's her favorite restaurant. Ask her out and change your clothes. You look like you were run over by a mob._"

By the gods, he DID have a sane friend!

Steeling himself Naruto took a deep breath and walked into the clearing, his body stiffer than he would've liked. "Hi, Hinata-er, Hinata-chan." He tried out.

"Meep!" The girl stiffened as she heard his voice, turning to meet him with wide eyes. Both stood silent for a moment before Hinata responded, "Um, Hinata is fine Naruto-kun..."  
>Unsure what to make of that, Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Sure, then just Naruto is fine too."<p>

Blushing, the girl nodded. "Alright, Naruto." It felt strange to her, speaking his name in such an informal way.

Struggling with what to do next, he tried remembering what his female friends had recommended.

Sakura, "_Stupid, tell her she looks pretty. Yes, even if she's covered in dirt and grime! Look, just say the opposite of whatever Sai would say, okay?_"

Nodding to himself the blonde began, " You look really-whoa, look at your hands!" He exclaimed, reaching into his pack for some first aid supplies.

Hinata's face went beet red as her longtime crush took her hands and began to bandage them. "R-really, it isn't that bad. I've been doing this a lot lately. They don't bleed as much as they used to..."

Gulping as he secured the bandages to her otherwise strong pearly white hands he continued, "Wow, you must be working really hard at this."

Turning away she nodded, "I still have a lot I need to improve."

Giving her a smile he said, "You're doing great from what I can see."

"Ah! Th-thank you, Naruto-ku...Naruto."

Looking down while at a loss for words, he thought back to his friends' advice.

Ino, "_KYAAAAH! You two would be so cute! Oh, advice? Compliment her clothing. You know, her sense of style!_"

Quickly trying to think of something to compliment, he picked the first thing he saw. "You have nice sandals."

Hinata blinked. "Umm...I'm sorry?"

"Your sandals. They look very supportive." He finished lamely, fully aware how badly he just screwed up.

Looking down, Hinata resisted her urge to twiddle her fingers. "Thank you. They were a present for my promotion."

There was another long silence, and from the shy look on Hinata's face she wasn't going to be the one to break it. Thinking hard, he tried to remember any other good advice.

As he was running away from Neji, Tenten shouted after him, "_ASK HER OUT! JUST DO IT_!"

As if it had just been shouted into his ear, the blonde blurted out, "Willyougooutwithme?!" He said, much faster and higher pitched than he'd intended.

Hinata blinked, bringing her hand to her lip. " I'm sorry, I couldn't understand..."

Taking a deep breath, he forced his voice to say it much slower, "Will you go out with me, Hinata?"

It seemed to take Hinata a moment to register the question, but when she did her body went into overdrive. Her hands flew to her mouth, her body shutting down all but it's vital functions to put as much blood in her cheeks as possible.

Having burst the dam, Naruto's mouth went into huh gear. "I was thinking we could get some cinnamon rolls and red bean soup at this restaurant downtown I hear its pretty good and I really wanna get to know you better so I thought this would be a good way to do it and I'm rambling what I'm saying is do you wanna go on a date with me because I want to take you out Hinata!" He said in one very long breath.

Hinata was silent for a very long time. Naruto looked her in the eye as he stood stone still, wondering just what was going through her mind. Was she in shock? Happy? Sad? Did she think this was out of pity, because it really wasn't! Was she not interested in a relationship? Was her confession in the moment? Or was there someone else too? That last thought made him a little uneasy. Wait, she was the Hyuga heiress! Was she not allowed to be with some outside of the clan? Was his clanlessness a dealbreaker? He was the son of the fourth, should he tell her? Or would that come off as bragging? Her silence was killing him!

Then she smiled so brilliantly all his doubts vanished in its radiance.

"I'd love to."

Slowly going through disbelief that she'd said yes to matching her smile, he said, "Great! Lets go right now, you must be starving after all that training!"

Blushing again, she looked away, "Wait, I'm all dirty. Let me go home and change."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Really? You look great to me." He said completely naturally.

Blushing again Hinata gave him a small nod, "You really think so?"

"Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed. Smiling again, he motioned for her to follow him. "You ready?"

The smiling kunoichi caught up to the genin and walked beside him, looking completely content as she did.

As the two walked out of the forest, Naruto remembered one last word of advice.

Kurenai, "_Hold her hand. Don't ask questions, just do it. It will make Hinata very happy._"

Wanting to make the girl as happy as he could, he slowly closed the distance between the two and carefully maneuvered his hand behind hers, sliding his fingers down her palm until they touched the tips of hers.

The girl gasped at the contact, looking at to where the boy was touching her. Watching his fingers ask for permission to lace with hers the girls gaze fell to the floor, a small smile on her face. Parting her fingers she felt his fingers sliding between her own, clasping his hand to hers.

The smile she gave him would have brought peace to the world if it didn't belong to the boy holding her hand.

* * *

><p>Naruto was awoken from his slumber by a firm shake of the shoulder. Groggily recognizing the hand he followed the arm until he was looking Zaeed in the face. Nodding to the old man Naruto got up from the chair he was resting in and headed to the meeting area just to the side of the gunship. The outpost was alive with activity, mostly freelancers. The gang members mostly kept to their bases. They came out just in time to see Shepard arrive, dropping some strange electrical tool as he did.<p>

Eyeing the tool Naruto spoke, "What's that thing for?"

Shepard shrugged, "No idea, but it came in handy." Looking over his squad, he continued, "And what have you two been doing?"

Zaeed's damaged face twisted into a sadistic smirk. "Ran into some old friends."

"Will your reunion have consequences i should know about?"

"Nothing you'll be unhappy with." Zaeed said as he handed the Commander a datapad. "Found this on one of the head mercs. Planning to join up and give Aria the boot. Suicidal bastards."

Nodding as he glanced over the information Shepard turned to Naruto, who felt almost embarrassed when he admitted, "I took a nap."

Nodding indifferently he turned to the barricade as he spoke, "Looks like we're about to make our move. They'll be sending us freelancers in to attack Archangel first. We need to get to him before they do. Zaeed, you know more about these guys then we do. What can you tell us?"

Shooting the other freelancers a look half pitying and half disgusted he commented, "Don't see a serious threat in the bunch, but five hundred credits won't attract any of the big names in the business. There's a reason none of them are in the big time merc gangs. If this Archangel is half the rifleman the other mercs make him to be, they'll be corpses before they cross the bridge."

"And what about the other mercs? Blue Suns, Blood Pack and Eclipse?"

"Best damn merc gangs in the galaxy. Any one of them would be a headache, but all three means getting out is gonna be a bitch. Especially with the damn gunship."  
>"If they send the gunship, aim for the flight stabilizers. I'm afraid the mechanic won't be able to armor them." Shepard instructed. "If Miranda and Mordin weren't off equipping the lab I'd have liked to have them here, but we're going to have to make do."<p>

"So what's the plan with Archangel? Since we're rushing with the freelancers, won't he be trying to kill us too?" Naruto asked.

"We get to him before he gets the chance and explain ourselves."

Just as Shepard finished speaking a powerful round from a Mantis sniper rifle hit him right in the side, dropping his shields and making him stagger.

""Doesn't would like he's in a listening mood." Naruto deadpanned.

As Shepard picked himself up the call went out for Beta team to begin the assault. All freelancers began running towards the bridge, ready to earn their credits.  
>Looking at his team, Shepard cracked his knuckles. "Come on. Lets give these people a surprise of our own." Following the rest of the freelancers over the barricade they stepped out onto the bridge, which was already covered in corpses. Freelancers around them fired into the open window as Archangel peeked out every few seconds, taking no time to line up a shot before dropping another man. He was quick, but even so a few lucky souls managed to make it past the killbox and into the building.<p>

Shepard, Naruto and Zaeed ran over the bodies littering the bridge as they raced towards the building. Surprisingly Archangel never fired on them, always aiming for some poor schmuck in third rate armor. Reaching the building and running up the stairs they found the only three surviving freelancers forcing open the door. Zaeed raised his rifle to shoot but just then they managed to break through. When the door cracked it triggered an explosive trap set by Archangel, blowing them and the door away.

Stepping over the charred corpses they made their way through the door, wary of any other traps. Finding none they proceeded, finally catching sight of Archangel carefully lining up his last shot. Approaching first, Shepard called out, "Archangel?"

Raising a hand from his rifle he motioned for the three to wait, as if knowing they weren't a threat. Lining up his sights, he held steady until the final freelancer on the bridge took a risk he shouldn't have. Leaning out to check his position, Archangel sent a round right through the poor man's head.

Rising from his sniper perch Archangel lowered his rifle and turned to the three. Flicking the latches off his helmet, he removed it and placed it on the railing before taking a seat on it himself. Out of the corner of his eye Naruto caught the Commander's eyes widen, barely containing the elation he was feeling.

The turian stared at the trio, the device on the left side of his face feeding him information on each of the three before him. Planting his rifle and getting comfortable, he spoke, "By the spirits Shepard, I thought you were dead."

The turian's words brought Shepard back to reality. Flashing a cocky grin, he replied, "After everything we've through Garrus, are you really that surprised?"

Garrus wearily he shook his head, not fighting the small smile on his face, "Just wondering whether I should hug you or hit you. Both are very appealing. Two years and not even...oh, what's that human tradition...a Christmas card?"

"Long story, but I got better with a lot of strings attached." The Commander shrugged.

"Uh huh...definitely going with hitting."

"You should probably save your energy for the mercs. What the hell have you been up to the past two years?"

Turning away, the Turian grinned as he reminisced on times gone by. "Oh, not much. A few interviews after Sovereign, faded to obscurity, denied Spectre training, moved to Omega...pissed off every merc in the Terminus systems...you know, business as usual." He finished sarcastically.

Zaeed barked a laugh, catching Archangel's attention. "I'll say, even pissed off a few rich enough to hire me. Lucky for you Cerberus signed me on first."

Ignoring most of Zaeed's comment, he looked at Shepard questioningly. "Cerberus? Just what the hell have _you_ been up to these past two years? Besides being dead, of course."

"Got a mission, a big one. Cerberus is our sponsor, but I'm still in charge."

"Ah...now I get it. You're here for another suicidal quest to save the galaxy with the help of a rogue faction of xenophobics. And you just can't do it without your old pal Garrus Vakarian, so you're here to drag me away from everything I know for the good of the galaxy. How right am I so far?"

"Hit the nail on the head. So you're in?" Shepard asked, already knowing the answer.

"To kick ass across the galaxy with you and any fool willing to leave everything behind to follow you into hell?" Garrus stood from the crates, striding right past the Commander's silent squadmates until he was right before the Commander. Looking him in the eye, the turian grinned at his old friend. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

The Commander grinned, sweeping the turian into a quick embrace. Garrus grimaced as he felt some of his wounds flare up under the Commander's strength, but returned the gesture as well as he could. "Guess I hit you later?"

Laughing, Shepard nodded as he let his friend go. "If you've still got the strength. We still need to get out of here."

"Easier said than done I'm afraid." Garrus muttered as he walked over to the opening. "That bridge has saved my life, funneling these witless idiots into scope. But it works both ways. They'll slaughter us if we try to push through."

Joining his friend by the windowsill, Shepard nodded. "So we hold here for now, wait for a break in their defenses and blast right through them."

"Glad to see you haven't changed." The two exchanged eager glances, before Garrus motioned to the hallway behind them. "There's enough weaponry to arm an entire squad back there. Not quite the quality you may be used to, but they work. Take what you need and meet back here, they'll be sending some veteran mercs soon."

Shepard turned to his squad, "Either of you want some more firepower?"

Zaeed grunted a negative, but Naruto nodded. "I'll take a look."

"Alright, take what you want and get back here."

Moving quickly the blonde ran through the hallway to the opposite room, ignoring the pair of dead bodies in the corner. Looking around, he found over a dozen weapons. Five rifles, two snipers, three shotguns, three pistols, five machine pistols and enough heat sinks to power them all. Garrus was right, they looked like they'd seen more combat than even he had. The finishing was tearing, and each weapon was marred with dents from enemy fire. But as long as they worked, Naruto couldnt ask for more.

Looking at all the weapons, Naruto's lips stretched into a devious grin.

* * *

><p>Naruto and Zaeed leapt through the second floor opening and took cover behind the pillars at the end of the bridge, Naruto on the left and Zaeed on the right. Up above Shepard and Garrus steadied their rifles aiming at the oncoming Eclipse mercenaries. At the Commander's order the four open fired, tearing through the first wave of mercs before they had a chance to react.<p>

It was clear that these weren't the standard freelancers anymore. These eclipse mercs were armed to the teeth with barriers and high powered weaponry. More than once Naruto found himself hiding behind cover to allow his shattered shields to reinitialize. But while Eclipse had numbers, they had the skill. Archangel alone had held the mercenary alliance at bay, but now with reinforcements they were nothing short of devastating. With Shepard and Garrus sniping with Naruto and Zaeed spraying the mercs indiscriminately with fire, they all dropped before they reached the end of the bridge.

Taking out one last merc with a burst from his machine pistol Naruto broke from cover to survey the scene. The loss of over a dozen members must have convinced the Eclipse leader to rethink their strategy. And rethink it he did, choosing to send in the YMIR Mech.

"Naruto, Zaeed, get back here!" Shepard called out from up top. Quickly complying the pair ran ran back into the building and up the stairs, taking a position on the windowsill.

"I was wondering when they'd get tired of dying." Garrus muttered as he lined up a shot for the head, wanting to take out the giant mech before it could cause some harm. But just before he pulled the trigger, Shepard moved his hand to lower the Mantis. Looking up at the Commander questioningly, he caught the amused look in the man's eyes.

"What did you do?" He asked casually, trailing off at the end.

"Wait for it..." He replied, grinning.

The series of gears churning at high speeds came to a halt as the mech came online. Behind it new wave of Eclipse mercs leapt over the barrier, ready to follow the giant machine into the hideout. They paused when the mech took giant steps to turn itself around, gazing at the crowd of confused mercenaries.

**"Targets acquired." **The mech called, launching a rocket at the stunned mercs before any could find cover.

Zaeed watched with great amusement as the mech used its machine gun to mow down the remaining mercs, not bothering to restrain his sadistic laugh. "You are one twisted son of a bitch, Shepard!"

"I'll try taking that as a compliment." Came his reply.

For a full minute they watched as the YMIR mech tore any mercenaries brave enough to challenge it to pieces, until a line salarian leapt over the barrier and fired a rocket right at the mech's head. The blast sent shrapnel flying through the air, embedding itself in the bridge and the bodies around it as the mech toppled to the ground.

"Shit, that's Jaroth." Garrus muttered, lining up his rifle.

"Will he be a problem?" Shepard asked as he pulled out a few grenades from his belt.

"Slippery bastard is the leader of Eclipse on Omega. Little guy is tougher than he looks."

Jaroth began storming across the bridge as a final wave of Eclipse flanked him, making me final push to breach Archangel's hideout.

"Damn." Garrus muttered as he fired a third shot at Jaroth, whose shields once again took the blunt of the impact. "We can't stop them all in time. Got a plan, Shepard?"

"Something like that." Shepard replied, still clutching a pair of grenades.

"Leave it to me!" Naruto announced.

Shepard was about to ask what the blonde was up to when he heard over a dozen weapons locking, ready to operate. Looking to his sides, he saw four copies of the blonde on either side of him, each holding one of the weapons from the back room. At the barrier below them another ten stood, all armed with automatic weapons and shotguns.

"Ninja art: firing squad jutsu mark II!" The original blonde announced beside him. Raising his arm, he slashed it forward as he called out, "Open fire!"

Each clone squeezed the trigger of their weapons, and this time they did not go _click!_

The first barrage of rounds was so thick that their force blew the closest mercenaries off their feet. The clones continued to fire, only releasing the trigger to replace the thermal clip before continuing the onslaught. Any mercs lucky enough to be in cover found some reprieve, before the focused efforts of the three non-shinobi snipers fired through their cover.

As the cones stopped firing the lone salarian stood firm, his shields dropped and his armor full of holes. As he struggled to remain standing while he cursed the lot of them to a painful death, Archangel lined up one final shot, sending a round right between his eyes. Jaroth dropped to the ground in an undignified heap, dead.

"Down goes Jaroth. Finally." Garrus lowered his rifle and glanced over the small army of clones, who were busy catching the weapons the clones from below as they tossed them up. "I'm guessing this isn't a team of identical brothers."

The boys in question grinned, most dispersing in a puff of smoke as their weapons dropped to the floor. "I can make solid clones of myself. That's not even the most I've ever made."

The turian's mandible sharpened as he eyed the blonde up and down. Glancing over at Zaeed, who had chosen to take a seat on the couch as he waited for the next wave as if firing three armies at once was just another day at the office pushing papers, he spoke up, "Someday you're going to have to tell me how you find these people, Shepard."

"Don't forget you're one of them." Shepard replied, returning his unused grenades to his belt.

"Couldn't if I tried."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, a little surprised by the turian's lack of amazement at his jutsu. His reaction was the exact opposite of Mordin's; Garrus just didn't seem to care. "You're taking this rather well." He joked.

Garrus grunted in response, "You travel with Shepard long enough and there isn't much left that'll surprise you."

From what he'd seen so far Naruto wasn't having any doubts about that. But before he could respond the sound of a blowtorch cutting through thick metal echoed throughout the hideout. Garrus ran over to the railing at the other end of the room, watching as sparks flew from the lower level door.

"They're coming through the tunnels. Well, it was only a matter of time, they were bound to use their brains eventually."

"Looks like they're making another push up along the bridge. You'd think the piles of corpses would teach them something." Zaeed muttered.

Turning to the team Garrus said, "Shepard, take your team and seal the shutters below. That should stop their advance. I'll stay here and deal with the ones on the bridge."

Shepard took a moment to look over the edge. No sign of the enemy yet, but that didnt mean that they wouldn't push forward if there wasn't someone to defend it. "I'm not leaving you up here alone, it's too dangerous to fight them all at once."

Garrus still looked skeptical. "You sure? I've held my own so far, and who knows what you'll end up finding down there."

"I'll handle it." He assured him. "Naruto, stay up here with Garrus. Deal with anything that gets too close."

"Leave it to me!" He shouted assuringly.

Nodding, the Commander turned to Zaeed. "You're with me. We'll be back soon."

"Roger that." Zaeed confirmed.

"Good. This time, try not to take two years." Garrus slipped in as the Commander ran out the doorway. Cradling his own rifle he made his way back to the opening where the blonde was eyeing his weapons cache.

"Ha! If anything tries to get through, no one's gonna get through here with my new firing squad jutsu!" He bragged confidently crossing his arms.

"I think not." Garrus replied.

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "What? Why not? I took care of that last wave in about fifteen seconds!"

"Yes. Them, and about half our remaining thermal clips." Garrus said, gesturing to the dozens of spent clips lying on the ground and to the pile they still had left. More than enough to keep them from lacking, but definitely not enough to keep firing everything they had at once.

"Oops." The blonde muttered, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Guess that jutsu's a one-off."

"Seems that way. Lets try an approach that uses a little more precision." Garrus said, picking up one of the mantis sniper rifles from the floor and handing it to Naruto. "You know how to use this?"

Naruto blinked, accepting the weapon. "Not really, just the basics I guess."

Garrus's face sharpened into the turian equivalent of a smirk. "Luckily you're with the master. Time for a crash course."

Naruto chuckled, "Yes, teach me on wise and wonderful Archangel."

"I'm sorry, was it you who held off every merc on Omega by yourself with only a sniper rifle? No? Then maybe a quick lesson wouldn't hurt." Finishing, Garrus positioned his rifle on the balcony, gesturing for Naruto to do the same As Blood Pack vorcha began their charge across the bridge.

"Sniping isn't like firing a machine gun. It's not a contest to see who can fill their targets with the most holes. A sniper only aims to make one, finding the weakest point on their target and exploiting it. A exposed neck, a chink in the armor, the cloth between the plates. Keep calm and line up your shot, flow with your target, moving with them as they go. Slowly exhale, and squeeze the trigger."

Garrus raised his rifle and gave the vessel an example, focusing on the fastest vorcha making his way across. With the skill of a master he trailed the vorcha and fired, sending a round straight through its left eye.

"See? Nothing to it." He muttered casually as he made another perfect headshot. "So you wanna give it a try, or are you still frozen in awe?"

Rolling his eyes Naruto unfolded the rifle and aimed down at the charging vorcha. Unlike the mercs before, these vorcha didn't pause to consider finding cover, or even to take the time to aim. They would fire wildly as they charged, spraying the whole building with their fire. Their lack of precision gave them a clear chance to take them out before they got close enough to be threatening, making it a nonissue.

Following garrus's advice, he lined up his shit, trailed the target, took a deep breath, squeezed the trigger...and was jerked back from the recoil.

"Not so stiff, hold it gently or you'll be thrown back every time." Garrus advised.

Trying again with a looser grip, he fired, managing to catch a vorcha in the side. Not a kill shot, but it still dropped the vorcha to the ground. "Got one." He smirked.

"I'm on four. Don't get cocky just yet." Garrus replied.

The two fell into a steady rhythm, the beginner and the master doing their part to tear down the the line of oncoming vorcha before they got too close. Whatever stray rounds the vorcha actually hit them with were shrugged off with their shields, and the two would promptly return the favor with interest. Soon the vorcha advance began to dwindle, until the last brave soul fell with a careful shot from Naruto's rifle.

"Ha! That makes four!" Naruto announced, pleasantly surprised by his success.

"I'd tell you how many, but I don't want to make you feel too insecure."

"Gee, thanks." He replied sarcastically. "Looks like they're falling back. What now?"

"I doubt those troops were more than fodder to keep us occupied. We should-" Garrus was interrupted by a powerful humming growing stronger and stronger. Garrus cautiously approached the opening with his rifle at the ready. "It couldn't be...shit! Get down!"

The two just barely dived behind the wall as the gunship popped into view. Having not seen where they took cover the gunner fired into the opening, tearing apart the couch and everything else in view. Naruto was forced to duck low as the gunfire trailed along the wall, the powerful machine gun nearly sawing the entire wall in two. A lucky round managed to hit his shoulder, whipping him back and depleting over half his shields with just the one round.

"Damn, I thought I took that thing out already!" Garrus mused as the gunner continued to fire through the walls

"They were fixing it back at the camp!" Naruto yelled over the gunfire.

"Didnt think they'd have time to get it up and running so fast!"

"They didn't! Shepard did something to it, he said to aim for the flight stabilizers!"

"Really..." Garrus trailed off as he shifted over to the opening while keeping low, taking a peek around the corner. "We'll, no time like the present!"

Spinning from cover Garrus lined up his shot in an instant, locking onto the sparking stabilizer on the side of the aircraft. "Time to put you down for good!" Garrus shouted.

"**Archangel!**" The pilot called as the aircraft turned to him, and in unison the two squeezed their triggers. The round from Garrus's rifle hit first, ripping through the opening in the metal protecting the stabilizer and destroying the circuitry keeping the craft afloat. The nose took a small dive as the round hit, sending the missile the pilot fired slightly off course at Garrus's feet. The force of the blast blew Garrus into the air, over the balcony ledge and onto the first floor of the hideout.

Naruto shouted Garrus's name as he ran to the ledge to check on the vigilante, ignoring the out of control aircraft behind him as it fell into the depths of Omega. He leaned over the side and locked onto Garrus's broken form on the ground by the stairs in a growing pool of blood, surrounded by three giant Blood-Pack krogan.

The largest of the three looked down at the unconscious Turian with no withheld disgust. "I'm disappointed. I wanted to break you myself. Now you won't even be awake when I kill you..." He muttered, rolling Garrus onto his back with his foot to see his damaged face. "But, you have thinned out the Blue Suns and Eclipse for me. Now nothing will stop the Blood Pack on Omega...I'll honor this service to me with a quick death." He finished, pointing the barrel of his shotgun at Garrus's head.

"Shit!" Naruto cursed. Thinking fast he closed his eyes and dispersed his clone safely gathering sage chakra in the back room. Opening his slotted yellow eyes he brought his hands together, flipping through a short set of seals before pointing his hands at the krogan. "Wind style: heat wave!"

A powerful gust of hot air blasted forward at the krogan, the heat leaving behind a trail of steam as it traveled. The gust hit the krogan head on, sending them all staggering backwards. Naruto flipped over the railing and planted his feet on the back of it, pushing off it to launch himself at the krogan. Forming a rasengan in each hand he thrust them both into the nearest krogan, shouting, "Rasengan barrage!"

The violent spheres of chakra warped the armor, shredding the outer layer to pieces before sending the krogan spiraling into the wall, hitting it with a sharp crack. Before the krogan could stand, Naruto leapt into the air onto him, kicking him into the floor as he landed.

Naruto finished the krogan off with another hard stomp to the plate befor eye felt a hard glow on the back of his head, sending him staggering back. He turned just in time to watch the fist strike him again, and once more before grabbing him and yanking him into a powerful headbutt. Naruto felt something crack as he reeled back from the blow, placing a ginger finger on his throbbing forehead as he felt something trickle through his blonde hair. Looking at his finger, he found it coated in fresh blood.

A few steps away, his attacker was looking him up and down, sizing him up. "Still alive after that, huh? More than most people wouldn't be able to say the same."

Naruto grinned, "Ha! It'll take more than that to take me down."

"So it seems." The krogan replied, taking a few steps back. "You, head into the tunnels and flank the two that went to seal off the shudders. I'll deal with the whelp."

"On it, Garm." The krogan replied.

Naruto scowled at the jab, but said nothing. He may hide it well, but that blow messed him up pretty bad. His vision was blurry and he had to struggle to keep from wobbling, and that crack he heard from his skull did little to help his nerves. He had to end this fast, he couldn't afford another blow to the head.

As the other krogan ran off, the big one tossed his gun to the side. "What, you wanna surrender? Can't say I blame you." Naruto jested.

"No, but since I can't fight Archangel, I'm going to beat you to death instead." The krogan explained, before charging.

Naruto scowled as he lowered himself and charged forward to meet the krogan. Memories of his last effort to charge a krogan were still fresh in his mind. That thing had been strong, and this Garm make him look like a child. But this time he had his secret weapon. With his strength enhanced with sage mode, this time he would drive the krogan into the ground.

The two bodies slammed together with incredible force, their bodies pressed together so firmly they could flatten iron if it was held between them. Garm towered over the blonde, trying to push through him with all his tremendous might. But the shinobi held firm, slamming the toe of his right foot into the ground to keep himself firm. His arms were wrapped tightly around the Krogan's waist. For several heated moments the two continued to try to push through, neither gaining any ground on the other.

Suddenly Naruto switched tactics. With his arms firmly wrapped around the krogan, he lifted himself up, bringing the stunned krogan with him. He groaned as he continued to lift the struggling one-ton creature off the ground, raising him over his head. Then with all his strength, he arched his back and slammed the krogan into the ground head first behind him, shattering the flooring and making the krogan go limp. Picking himself up, he grabbed the dazed Garm by the head and lifted, slinging him over his head in a wide arc before slamming him into the floor once more.

Naruto panted as he watched Garm for several moments, only turning his gaze when it was clear the krogan wasn't going to be picking himself up in a blood rage like the last one had. The blonde slowly shifted his way towards Garrus, who hadn't moved since his fight with the krogan began.

He had begun to scan the area for Medigel to help Garrus when the door to the tunnels hissed open. Shepard and Zaeed walked out looking a little worn, but still functional enough to fight. "Shepard, Zaeed! Finally! When did you guys learn the shadow clone jutsu?"

Zaeed scoffed as he crossed his arms. "I think the poor kid damaged his brain."

Naruto scowled as his vision began to flicker. "Great...I'm seeing double..."

Shepard turned to Naruto, whose face was now covered in blood from his head would. The man looked like he could barely stand up, and even a small gust would knock him over. "What the hell happened here?"

"Charged a krogan." Naruto grinned cheekily, before his eyes widened and he grew deadly serious. "Oh! Garrus! Garrus needs help!" He screamed, pointing to the bottom of the stairway.

Shepard bolted past him, kneeling beside his fallen friend and opening his omnitool to apply some medigel to Garrus's wounds. "We were worried you'd been overrun when that krogan flanked us down there. How'd he get this hurt?"

"A missile blew up near him, blew him off the ledge..took care of the krogans before they could...oh..." Naruto muttered before tumbling forward, finally losing his battle to retain consciousness. Zaeed moved quickly and caught him before he could fall to the floor and worsen his injuries.

Looking back Shepard cursed, "We need to get them to Chakwas, now! Guard the entrance, I'll keep them stable and call Miranda for an evac!" Shepard commanded. Zaeed nodded and left for the front to guard the bridge without a word.

Opening his omnitool Shepard patched it through to Miranda. "Miranda, bring Mordin and the shuttle to our location. Naruto and Archangel need immediate medical attention!"

* * *

><p>"Now attach the barrel to the body of the rifle...don't force it, it requires a gentle hand. Better. Now attach the sight to the top of the rifle. The on board computer should take care of the calibrations, but its never perfect. Best to calibrate it yourself. I'll show you how once we're discharged."<p>

"Why does this have to be so complicated? My sword and kunais never needed this much maintainence."

"Your sword and kunais aren't designed to hit targets half a kilometer away. Now load the ammunition block into the shaving chamber. Very good. Those things last for thousands of shots, so you won't have to worry about replacing it anytime soon."

"If only I could say that about your bandages."

"Oh come on Doc, anything to get us to visit."

"You could always drop by for coffee. And I'll have no lip from you, Garrus. It's a wonder you're able to speak."

"You should know me better after all these years."

"I do. That's what worries me."

"Haha! Getting called out, Garrus?"

"And you! How you're still alive is a miracle itself, but just how did you heal so fast?"

"A good ninja never reveals his secrets."

"You sound like some corny stage magician."

"Look underneath the underneath, my friend."

"And...what is that supposed to mean?"

The trio was cut off when the door to the medical bay hissed open. Shepard walked in quickly, but froze at the sight of the two patients awake and fiddling with a sniper rifle between their beds. He turned to Chakwas, "How long have they been up?"

"Since an hour after you left for Omega, and they've been nothing but a headache since." The doctor replied in a drained voice.

"Good to see you, Shepard." Garrus said, standing up and walking over to him. "These two seem adamant that I not be allowed near a mirror. Something on my face?" Garrus joked, brushing off concerns over his scars.

Shepard laughed, "Hell Garrus, you were always ugly! Slap some face paint on there and no one'll tell the difference."

The whole room let out a chuckle, even the Doctor, but Garrus quickly regretted it. "Don't make me laugh, my face is barely holding together as it is. Probably for the best. Everyone was always ignoring you and hitting on me. Time for you to get a fair shot at it."

"Hey, don't worry buddy. Some women find facial scars attractive."

"Yes, although most of them are krogan..."

Naruto's face visibly darkened when Shepard finished speaking. "Krogan...why do I always get the krogan..."

"Well, you're the only human I've met whose skull is thicker than theirs. Congratulations." Garrus finished with a sly smirk.

"Ha ha ha. Oh, Shepard! Why is my name on he bed?"

Shepard raised a questioning eyebrow. "It's part of your chart. Jacob and Garrus have one too."

"It's _engraved._" he dead panned, pointing to the carving of his name.

Shepard cast an amused glance at Chakwas, who shrugged. "It turns out it was necessary."

The Commander decided to leave that alone, instead turning to the Mantis rifle their War Hero was holding. "Picked that up during the last mission?"

Naruto nodded excitedly. "Yeah, I can take care of myself up close, I thought it'd be good to have something to deal with enemies far away."

Garrus nodded in approval. "It won't be an easy task, but I'll get him up to snuff."

"Ha, just watch Garrus! One day I'll give you a run for your money!"

"Yes, the same day Joker leaps out of his chair and start tap dancing."

Shepard ignored the two as they became lost in their banter, some of it being rather colorful. Instead, he turned to Doctor Chakwas, who seemed just as desperate to stay out of the exchange as he did. "Are they fit for duty?"

"Garrus yes, all the damage he took was surface deep. Despite the head wound there doesnt seem to be any sign of brain damage. His armor took most of the impact so aside from his face there wasn't much aside from his head to worry about."

"Naruto , however, is not. Despite how quickly his wounds have healed, whatever hit him was strong enough to fracture his skull. I'm sure there was bleeding in his brain when he arrived, and I'm still not sure how much of the damage is still present. I want to keep him here for further observation."

Shepard nodded, "Very well. He'll stay in your care for now."

"Thank you, Commander."

Shepard turned back to the now chuckling pair. "I'm guessing you didn't hear any of that."

Garrus was the first to recover from whatever they were laughing about, smiling when he shook his head. "We're about to recruit the Warlord, Okeer. Garrus, you're cleared to join me, Miranda and Zaeed if you feel like you've recuperated. Naruto will stay here to make sure there's no lasting damage.

"What?!" Naruto nearly screeched, looking angry. "I'm totally fit to fight! Can't you use those super hi tech machines to prove it?"

"Some symptoms can only be observed with time." Chakwas stated. "Until I clear you, you're to stay here. Understood?"

Naruto growled, looking at the Commander. "Can't you do something about this?"

"If the Doc says you stay, you stay. Keep out of trouble until you're cleared." Shepard instructed, once again failing to realize that why he was asking for simply wasn't gonna happen.

Naruto muttered something sounding unflattering under his breath, but relented. "Fine, but still..."

"Did I mention that Okeer was a krogan? If things go bad, you up for taking on a small army of krogan?"

Naruto's face went blank the moment Shepard uttered the word krogan. After the previous two recruitment missions, the thought of fighting a small army of the giant alien warriors was far less than appealing. So much so that he was suddenly glad he wasn't going "Have fun." he said lamely.

"We'll bring you back something nice." Garrus joked as he and the Commander walked out of the room.

* * *

><p>Hours later Naruto sat on his bed idly scrolling through his omnitool. Chakwas had stepped out for her scheduled resting period in the sleeper pods. Before she'd left, she'd given him a very strict warning about the consequences of disobeying a medical officer's orders about staying in bed. Naruto grimaced at the memory; that woman could be scary when she wanted to be. And so with nothing else to do, Naruto idly looked up new bits of information about the galaxy.<p>

It irked Naruto to no end, being the know-nothing dead last once again. To him, common galactic knowledge was foreign, new and exciting, but he couldn't help but feel embarrassed when he had to ask someone to explain this basic knowledge to him. Since arriving he'd done everything he could to prepare himself academically. History, technology, politics, aliens, and everything else he deemed could be relevant. No stones would be left unturned.

And so every chance he had, he worked to improve himself. He would not go back to being the know-nothing child he'd been in his youth. Even if he wasn't going to live much longer due to the mission, he wasn't going to use this as an excuse to slack off.

Even now the fruit of all his efforts were beginning to show. Before he left for the Archangel mission he'd overheard Ken and Gabby talking about the Normandy's engine, and he _understood!_Not everything, but he knew what they were talking about when they meant when talking about the connections between the core and the stealth system. It wasn't much, but it was a start. And he swore he would only get better from here.

The blonde was brought out of his thoughts when the door opened. "Didnt expect you back so soon, Doc. Sleep well?"

"Sleep? No no no, time for research. Much to do, too little time."

Naeuro looked up until he was eye to eye with Mordin. "What're you doing here?"

"Came for you. Genetic tests almost complete, currently find myself with free time. Wish to study jutsu, if allowed." Mordin said, his eyes holding a dangerous glint. At least, dangerous to Naruto, who suddenly felt like prey to a predator.

"Er, Chakwas says I'm supposed to stay in bed. Possible brain damage, or something."

Mordin frowned, bringing up his omnitool for a wipes I scan. "Signs of healed skull fracture, internal bleeding, possible hemorrhaging. All healed, should be fine."

Naruto looked unconvinced, "Yeah, but she wants to keep me under observation to make sure my head's on right."

"Simple solution. Will monitor during performance."

"Don't I need a doctor's clearance?"

"Am trained doctor, expert in xenoscience studies. Will provide temporary clearance for tests." Mordin said. He _really _wanted to run those tests while he had time.

Naruto now found himself out of excuses, alone in a room with an obsessive scientist salarian. With a nervous gulp, he resigned himself to Mordin's will. "Alright."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

Naruto/Garrus bromance. A match made in heaven.

Everyone head to the Naruto/Mass Effect section, I just published a short oneshot. For all the people who wanted to see Naruto superpowered... ;)

I really, **really **hated writing the scene where Garrus and Naruto are sniping and when the gunship shows up. Held me up for a long time. I prefer writing dialogue and character interactions than anything else. Just writing plain descriptive scenes, not really my thing. So expect more focus on characters instead of action from now on. I like those scenes better anyways.

On that note, I believe that the scene between Hinata and Naruto is the best writing I've ever done. Hopefully I can pull it off more often. And yes, backstory from long ago. More on that story next chapter.

In the last chapter I used a lot of dialogue directly from the game, but I find now that I prefer to write my own for these scenes, hence the difference between the canon meeting with Garrus and the on in my story. Personally, I think it went better here. Still kept the line about Garrus joking about his face. That stuff was literature gold! I just couldn't leave it out.

And since I've run out of things to ramble about, time to wrap up. I plan on updating my other story Ripples of the Rinnegan next, and this one again after. The good news is that since neither has a scene like the sniping/gunship one it should come more naturally to me. Here's to faster updates and as always, leave a review~


	6. Dossier: The Super Soldier

Important A/N after the chapter.

**Chapter 6**

**Dossier: The Super Soldier**

* * *

><p>Mordin Solus led a very accomplished life. From his days working in the Salarian Special Tasks Group helping to keep the delicate balance of the galaxy in check to halting the deadly plague on Omega, his life had been one monumental accomplishment after another. Just his last ten years of research was more than most other scientists could accomplish in ten lifetimes. There were Asari matriarchs who would have wasted away from taking on the tasks he had even spread over a thousand years. Yet Mordin had done it all in less than forty, and even now as he prepared for a Suicide Mission he never lost his need to keep looking for his next mystery.<p>

Mordin was a salarian, and well aware of his limited lifespan. Death did not concern him, he had accepted that inevitability long ago. Death was random and could strike at any moment. To fear it was counterproductive and would bring neither peace or progress. So he would not cower before it, but use what time he had left to explore, to experiment, and to learn all he could before the end.

And that was why he found Naruto Uzumaki so fascinating! An offshoot of humans from a different planet, just two decks below! How had they evolved? How had they gotten there? How could their bodies produce the isotope of eezo they called chakra, and so much! He wanted-no, _needed_ to learn more!

And that's how Naruto found himself in the center of the cargo hold performing ninjutsu as Mordin watched him. The salarian was not even blinking for fear of missing anything important.

Naruto nodded to Mordin to signal he was about to perform a jutsu. Forming the ram seal he concentrated as he molded his chakra. Once he'd gathered the proper amount, he focused on shaping it, calling out, "Transform!"

A small cloud of smoke enveloped him, slowly dispersing to reveal a perfect copy of the salarian. Well, almost identical. The copy's grin wasn't threatening to split his face in two.

"Fantastic! Simple bending of light to provide illusion of form? Same as basic clone jutsu perhaps? Possible. Or perhaps uses chakra to create temporary additional mass. EDI, your analysis?"

"My scans indicate conflicting evidence. Visual scans are normal. Thermal images observe warped energy surrounding his original form."

"Conflicting scans? Then could be possible. Perhaps..." He walked forward, touching the uncomfortable illusion all over. "Ah, combination! Both at work. Yes, yes! Impossible to alter original form. Uses chakra to mask, also _creates_ temporary masses where possible to provide solid form. Fascinating!"

Naruto blanced as Mordin continued to fawn over him, examining every possible detail to inform his theories.

Since they started an hour go, Mordin and his assistant EDI had examined a number of ninja techniques to explain the science behind them. His elemental jutsu's were quickly written off as a form of fusion to produce varying effects and were ignored in favor of his shape manipulation. With EDI's help he'd determined that his substitution jutsu was a manipulation of gravitational fields, slingshotting the objects around each other like a pair of stars in the heavens to switch places at high speeds. His clones were simple manipulation of light, and his shadow clones were perfect copies made entirely of chakra. When he'd told Mordin he couldn't create shadow clones of other people, Mordin theorized the only reason shadow clones were possible was due to an unconscious understanding of his own body's structure, and his lack of understanding for others made cloning them impossible.

Finally after several minutes of allowing Mordin to scribble down his notes he allowed Naruto to drop the jutsu, disappearing in a puff of smoke before returning to normal. Mordin frowned. "Hmm. Smoke interferes with observations. Appears in other jutsus as well. Subconscious effort to hide shape manipulation process? No no no! No smoke forms during Rasengan, no benefits gained from hiding jutsu. Smokescreen wasteful process. Wait! Possible by-product of chakra manipulation? Ah! Yes. Yes! Excess chakra uncontrolled. Disperses as smoke as it leaves body!"

Naruto gave a pointed look at Mordin, "So the smoke comes from bad chakra control?"

Mordin nodded. "Most likely conclusion. Smokescreen draws unwanted attention, no beneficial gain. Would be best to remove if possible. Unlikely however, perfect control unattainable. Hmm..." Mordin took a sharp breath, but did not continue.

"Despite their imperfections, the techniques are highly advanced in their manipulation of mass effect fields, despite the subject's ignorance of the concepts."

"Indeed. Cerberus records of these humans indicate great lack of scientific understanding, even on their own chakra."

"Those records were sealed behind my firewall. How did you-"

"Cracked that ages ago. Moving on." Mordin brushed it off without flinching. "Regardless, question remains: how can one perform jutsu without understanding physics behind-!"

And this would forever be known as the second time Naruto caught Mordin at a loss for words. But he would quickly learn that these rare silences could never last for long.

After several seconds of _very_ uneasy silence Mordin came back to life. He quickly turned on his heel and walked to the elevator, leaving behind a very befuddled War Hero.

"Impossible to perform without understanding. Subconscious, perhaps. Yes yes! Must test this immediately!" He said, walking into the elevator to head back to his lab.

Naruto stood there for several moments unsure of how to respond. "Umm...EDI? What just happened?"

"I believe Mordin is planning to test his theory."

"I got that much." He grumbled. "Why is it that all the aliens I meet either want to dissect me or kill me? I don't want to think about all the krogan I've charged."

"Perhaps they were simply trying to initiate a physical display of affection in the form of a 'hug'"

If Naruto knew where to look, the AI would be on the recieving end of a dead stare.

"That is a joke."

"Keep with the numbers. I don't think comedy is your forte." He paused, before hanging his head. "And I'm having a conversation with a computer. Trapped in a giant spaceship filled with crazy aliens talking to a computer." He said to himself, keeping things in perspective. "Things can't get any weirder."

Of course he just had to say it.

"Doctor Chakwas's resting period has just ended. I would advise-"

Naruto had bolted to the elevator before he heard the rest of her statement.

* * *

><p>Garrus stood in a trance before the command console in the forward battery. His fingers flew over the virtual display with practiced agility as he overviewed the weaponry aboard the new Normandy. System specs hovered before him one after another as he compared them to the previous Normandy, and judging by the frown on his face he was not impressed.<p>

If this information was right the SR-2 was ony a larger version of the original Normandy with modest upgrades to systems. Weapons, shielding and plating all matched their original in quality and power, and those had done little to help save them two years ago. The weaponry in particular made him sneer. Javelin disruptor torpedoes? Really? Those had been impressive two years ago, but technology gained from Sovereign's corpse made those things look like old Krogan tech. Fortunately Cerberus had the good graces to design the new Normandy with future upgrades in mind. He'd have to have a talk with Shepard about that. Maybe he could get him to spring for a Thanix cannon. Oh, how he'd always wanted to make one of those babys sing.

Closing the console he turned to depart from the forward battery. The door opened and he stepped thought the rows of sleeper pods into the mess. Mess Sergeant Gardner was hard at work washing the dishes. Looks like chow time just ended. Despite this, three crew members were still seated at the table.

Naruto and Joker sat at one end surrounded by far too many plates, all on Naruto's side of the table. He never knew such a sturdy body could hold so much food. The blonde continued to eat with a pair of metal sticks as he listened to Joker, who had finished his meal long ago. At the other end of the table sat Miranda, looking over her datapad while idly poking her barely touched meal.

A small grin spread across his face as he approached the unaware blonde who was still holding back laughter at Joker's story. It was one Garrus knew well, the story of how Shepard hijacked the Normandy and led his team to Ilos against the council's commands, and how they ended up saving the Citadel. He stepped right behind Naruto and waited. Eventually Joker's eyes trailed up to him, the blonde finally took notice and turned around. He nearly spit out his food when he saw the smirking turian.

"Bwaf! Gahhuf!" He said through a mouthful of food.

"Good to see you too. How long have you been out of the medbay?"

Naruto took the time to swallow before answering, "Just today. The Doc cleared me after she ran a few more tests. No brain damage."

Joker chuckled, "Well, nothing you didn't come aboard with at least."

"I'll second that." The two laughed at Naruto's annoyed stare.

Well gee Garrus, looks like you finally worked that stick out of your ass! Now you're just beating everyone to death with it."

"It came in handy killing those criminals."

"Well, you would know. I haven't seen you for two years and you've gone off to become Turian Batman."

Garrus raised an eyebrow. "Turians evolved from birds, not bats."

Joker rolled his eyes, he should've known he wouldn't get it. "Uh, nevermind. Well, I've done jack shit in the last two years. They grounded me after we lost the first Normandy. Just think: me, grounded! The Illusive Man picked me up After that."

"It's in the past, we're all here now. Working with Cerberus. I wouldnt've seen myself here two years ago."

"You and me both."

Garrus looked back at Naruto, who'd gone back to eating. Somehow he'd finished his last one and picked up another while they'd been talking. While he observed Garrus noticed the blonde's unique method of eating.

"Are those screwdrivers?"

Naruto paused, looking down at his makeshift chopsticks. "Just the metal parts. Swiped them from Ken and Gabby."

"Why not just use a fork and knife?"

Naruto blushed and turned away, muttering something unintelligible.

"What was that?"

"...I don't know how."

"Seriously?" Garrus chuckled at the unamused look Naruto shot him.

"Yeah, go ahead and laugh. Everyone else did. People on my world use chopsticks, sue me." He grumbled.

Garrus's quieted down as the blonde slumped over. "Sorry, it's wrong of me to laugh. Let me make it up to you."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "How?"

"Remember how I promised to bring you back something nice from the mission?"

"Oh yeah, how'd that go?"

"Badly. Okeer went and got himself killed, so he won't be joining us."

"Can't say I'm too sad we won't be having a krogan on board. So what'd you bring?" Naruto said, looking excited.

"A genetically perfect super-krogan. He's just down the hall from your little spot near the core."

Never had garrus seen a face go from excited to shock and horror so quickly. Joker burst out laughing behind them as Naruto found his voice. "I hate you."

"Oh, now don't say that. I'm sure you'll get along swimmingly."

"I don't think our new recruit will be in a mood to make friends." Miranda spoke up from across the table.

She caught Garrus's attention who turned to face her with a small smirk. "Ah, Miss Lawson. Happy for you to join us. How's our favorite Executive Officer faring?"

"Just fine, Vakarian. I'm surprised you can say the same, with your injuries."

"Maybe turians are just made of tougher stuff than humans. Well, except for the Commander. Never did see a turian come back from the dead before."

"You'd be surprised what we're capable of."

"You referring to humans, or Cerberus?" Garrus said, and immediately the atmosphere in the room went cold. "Because I remember testing quite a few of your agents back on the hunt for Saren. Not impressed." He said with a small sneer.

Miranda's gaze visibly darkened as she readied herself for what was sure to be a fiery exchange. "Youd be smart to stop talking now."

"Oh, now wheres the fun in that?" Garrus asked as he casually crossed his arms over his armor.

Sensing the atmosphere Joker politely stood and nodded to the dumbfounded blonde, "I'm gonna get outta here before the sparks fly. See ya." Naruto nodded dumbly as Joker staggered away.

"Those people you killed had lives. I knew them, their families too. I delivered news of their deaths to some of them personally." She paused, shooting Garrus an cool glare. "Their deaths were tragedies. There is nothing fun about this."

Garrus met her glare with one of his own, dropping his cocky demeanor as he spoke, "And what about Admiral Kahoku, the Idenna, the men on Akuze...I don't suppose their deaths meant anything to you, or did you break the news to their families too? Don't you dare play the victim."

"Are you expecting an apology?"

"I'm expecting heads to roll. I'm here for Shepard, that does not mean I'll turn a blind eye to what you people did."

The room went quiet at Garrus's words. Miranda casually surveyed the surrounding crew with her eyes. Returning to Garrus she said, "Mess Sergeant Gardner. He was a linguist working on eezo rigs when Batarian raiders came and took everything from him. He joined Cerberus to make a difference. Daniels and Donnelly came from the Alliance. They were disgraced when they defended Shepard and his warning of the Reapers. They came to help those the Council and the Alliance would not."

"Even good people can be swayed to do bad with only a few honeyed words."

"I agree." Miranda countered. "How many men did you kill in your time on Omega? And the men you led to their desths? How many families did you leave mourning?"

Garrus's mandibles twitched at her words, "Their deaths served a purpose."

"I understand that, and so did Kahoku, and all those men on Akuze. So don't think you're holier than us. Your hands are bloodier than ours will ever be."

Miranda stood from her seat and looked Garrus dead in the eye, her demeanor as frosty as ever. "I won't be insulted by someone like you."

Garrus met her gaze unflinching as his fiery gaze met her icy stare. His hands curled into tight fists at his sides. Their silent battle continued for several moments before Garrus took a sharp breath, "I'm going to leave before I do something I regret."

"For the best." Miranda nodded. Garrus picked himself and turned to leave. He gave Naruto a curt nod as he went; he was too disgruntled to do anything else.

Naruto sat dumbfounded at the table, his food forgotten. He closed his mouth and watched as Miranda settled back into her seat and scrolled through her datapad as if the past five minutes hadn't even happened.

They sat there silently for several minutes. The only sounds filling the deck were the scrubbing of dishes and the occasional stainless steel scraping against porcelain as Miranda took a bite.

Finally Miranda grew irritated from the unending gaze cast from the blonde and spoke, "Is it not rude to stare on your planet?"

Naruto blinked as he registered er speech before responding halfheartedly, "Oh, um...sorry."

"Not a problem." She answered without lifting her gaze.

Another short silence followed between the two. Naruto kept glancing warily at the woman every minute or so as he picked at the remains of his own meal, fighting his lost appetite. Finally he set his screwdriver chopsticks down and asked, "What the hell happened back there?"

Without looking up Miranda coolly responded, "Nothing that I wasn't expecting."

"What do you mean?" He asked curiously.

"I knew we'd have problems with Vakarian if he joined our squad. I was glad Cerberus wasn't able to locate him when we were assembling the dossiers. It was bad luck we found him despite this."

Naruto shot Miranda a disbelieving stare as he leaned back in his chair. "Why? He seems perfect to me. Great fighter, willing to join us for a suicide mission, and he was with Shepard on his first mission to stop Saren, so he's loyal." He listed them off on his fingers, "So you had an argument, but he's still a great asset."

"I'm not arguing his skill, only his place on the team."

"Well, what else matters?"

Miranda sighed as she lowered his datapad. She finally turned to face Naruto, "Most of us are perfect on paper. But we're not assembling a group of individuals, we're supposed to be building a team. One strong enough to fight the Collectors. And so far we're off to a terrible start."

Naruto shook his head confidently, "Are you kidding? Have you seen half the recruits?"

Miranda nodded solemnly, "Yes, we have the Commander, myself, the injured, the mad scientist, the hired gun, the criminal, the test tube baby, and _the traitor_." She said, narrowing her eyes at the War Hero at the last few words. "All powerful individuals, but we don't need individuals. We need a team, and I don't see the group the Commander has collected ever working together."

She paused for a moment, taking a short drink of water before continuing. "The Illusive Man and I both wrote the dossiers. For every one he made, I submitted three. All of my suggestions were loyal soldiers with a history of merit. The Illusive Man's suggestions were far more...colorful." Another pause, "Shepard has the final say on who to recruit, and so far the only ones he's chosen are from the Illusive Man's dossiers. The renegades, the forgotten and disgraced; scum from the underbelly of the galaxy. We've sacrificed teamwork for individual talent, and I don't see how like we can get this group working like it needs to if we want to succeed."

Naruto let her words stew before he answered. His lips lowered into a frown the more he thought about it. "And you think your attitude is helping?"

"I know a lost cause when I see it." She replied professionally.

"So that's it, you're just gonna give up?"

Miranda looked almost offended, "Absolutely not. I spent two years of my life bringing Shepard back and I won't abandon him now. I just have to believe that he sees something in the rest of you that I don't."

Miranda gracefully rose from her chair with her datapad and food. "I hope you prove him right. For everyone's sake." She said before returning to her quarters.

Naruto remained in his chair unmoving as he stewed on what Miranda had said. His food lay forgotten before him. He didnt feel hungry anymore. He didn't want to give her words any credit. They were too depressing to simply accept. But in his heart he knew what she said was right.

This was no team.

He sat there with those sad thoughts for over an hour before heading below to go to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>~4 Years Ago~<em>

The sun shone brightly over Konoha on another beautiful day. The leaves glistened in the brilliant light as the people set up for a long awaited festival. Laughter filled the air as stalls were raised and banners were hung. All through the streets people went about their way to get things ready for their big night. Everyone except for one tired figure who quietly made his way through the crowd.

Donned in a royal red cloak with intricate patterns the ambassador of Konoha tried to make himself small as he walked through the streets, wanting nothing more than to return to his cozy little apartment. He kept his head low as he avoided the citizens who would recognize his well known face. Weaving in and out of the crowds he finally arrived in front of his raggedy old apartment building. Sighing with relief he ascended the stairs calmly, savoring the feeling of returning home after a long month's work. He reached the top level and began making his way to the door at the end, but froze when he saw the figure standing before him.

"Neji?" He asked, really hoping his eyes were playing a trick on him.

No such luck. "Naruto." Came his stern reply.

Naruto resigned himself as he pulled back his hood, revealing his messy blonde hair and tan skin to the powerful rays of the sun. "Uh, so what're-"

"Hinata-sama is inside." He said accusingly.

'_I'm dead_' he thought as a chill ran through his blood. "So...you make it a habit to spy on me?" He tried to laugh it off.

"I make it my job. For Hinata-sama's safety."

"Of course." He sighed. "Look, it's been a long month and all I want to do is go inside and get some rest. Trust me, I've earned it."

"I've heard. Hinata shared your letters with me."

Naruto eyed him warily. "She shared, or you spied?"

"Shared. We have tea every Thursday."

"Uh-huh." Naruto yawned as he walked forward. "Don't tell me you gotta chaperone us inside my own home."

Neji smirked, "Actually..." He savored the defeated look on Naruto before he decided to stop playing with him, "I'm going to go help with the festival for the rest of the afternoon. I'll leave her in your care."

Naruto blinked, unsure if what he'd just heard was right. "Wait, so we actually get time alone? No sneaking around behind your-"

"What?" Neji narrowed his eyes dangerously.

Naruto quickly caught himself, "Nevermind. So you're actually letting me be alone with her? No catch?"

Neji approached him with a small grin, choosing to ignore the implications of Naruto's slip up. "You've been together for three years. I figure I can give you some room."

The older boy stood at his side and placed a friendly hand on the young ambassador's shoulder. "Just keep her happy and we won't have any trouble."

Naruto gave the boy a nod and a small smile. "Like always."

Neji closed his eyes and nodded, smiling as he headed off to help with the festivities below.

Naruto watched him walk off before approaching his door with a new pep in his step. As quietly as he could he unlocked the door and let himself inside the tiny apartment he'd owned all his life. There at the other end of the room stood Hinata, chopping vegetables in preparation of a home cooked meal.

Sneakily taking off his sandals he tiptoed across the hardwood floor, avoiding the familiar squeaky floorboards as he did. Finally he was right behind her. Once she set down the knife he wrapped his arms around her tightly in a surprise hug.

"Hi Hinata!" He announced cheerily.

To her credit, Hinata didnt even flinch. "Hello Naruto." She said calmly as she scraped the chopped carrots into a stew.

Naruto frowned at her lack of surprise. "How did you-byakugan?"

"Yes dear." She giggled.

"Aww, you're no fun!" He pouted.

"A ninja is always aware of her surroundings." She chided him.

"It just makes it hard to surprise you."

"You still find ways to keep doing it."

"Gotta keep you on your toes. Hmm..." He hung his head, letting it fall onto the hair flowing down her shoulder. He took a deep breath. Her hair always smelled so nice and clean.

"I missed you."

"I know." She smiled. She finished setting the pot to simmer before turning around in his hug so she could return it. She took a deep breath, but unlike Naruto found the smell to be anything but pleasant.

"Um, Naruto...have you washed recently?"

Naruto laughed awkwardly as he pulled away. "Haha...uh, I was running late, and I wanted to get back in time for the festival."

Hinata sighed, "Well, it is a victory festival for the end of the war. It's only right for you to be there...come on, lets get you into something clean."

"Roger Boss!" He mock saluted as she led him into his bedroom. He began removing his ambassadors cloak as she dug through his drawers for something clean to wear to the festival.

"So how did the negotiations go with Cloud?" Hinata asked as she pulled out a red collared shirt.

"Fine, just another simple land dispute over former Land of Rice territory. Darui's always been reasonable to work with, we managed to get the whole thing settled."  
>"Then what kept you?" She looked at him questioningly.<p>

"We stopped in several villages to check on conditions. It's been a rough transition for the people there."

Hinata nodded sadly. "It's still hard to believe all the minor countries were destroyed in the war. So many of them sided with Madera."

"The larger villages used to push them around. Look what happened to Nagato and the others in the Village Hidden in the Rain. It wasn't hard for Madara to use that hatred to manipulate them to his side."

Hinata frowned at Naruto's sullen expression. The destruction of the minor villages still weighed heavily on him. "It's in the past now. The war is over."

Naruto sighed, "Yeah, you're right. But now dividing up the land at the end of the war isn't going as well as I planned. We're still getting the borders finalized. I can't wait to get it done. I won't have to make these long trips so often anymore."

"That's what you do when you're the hero of a shinobi world war. The other villages respect you, and you treat them fairly. It's a good trait for a hero to have."

Naruto chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Please don't call me a hero. It just feels weird."

Hinata let out a small laugh as she held up the shirt to Naruto's chest. "Alright, but quit stalling. We're going to be late to the festival."

Naruto just shrugged nonchalantly. "So what? The festival lasts all night."

Hinata shook her head. "Our friends are expecting us, it would be rude to-"

Hinata was cut off when Naruto tilted her head up and pressed his lips against hers. The move caught her off guard, but it was not unwelcome. After a moment she closed her eyes and returned the kiss, savoring their first in over a month. They broke apart after a minute, both sporting identical blushes.

"They can wait. We deserve some time to ourselves."

Hinata gave him a timid glance, "We shouldn't, Neji's probably watching."

"He left us alone." Naruto lifted her chin until her disbelieving eyes met his. "It's just us. No clans, no duties. I have you all to myself until the festival starts." He brought his hand up to stroke her warm cheek, brushing his thumb across her lips. "They can all just wait."

Naruto felt Hinata relax in his arms as she nuzzled against the hand on her face. "Okay." She whispered dreamily. They looked into each others eyes in a moment neither wanted to end, and this time she leaned in to kiss him. Naruto wrapped his arms around his love and pulled her tight against his body as the two slowly made their way back to the bed. The pair tumbled onto the covers, the world around them beginning to fade from their minds as they became lost in a lovers embrace.

* * *

><p>Naruto's eyes flashed open as the eezo core roared with newfound life. He grumpily rolled over on his pile of sheets as his mind struggled to wake up. He rubbed his groggy eyes and stood up to finally look at the drive core. The thing was pulsing with a powerful blue aura that flared through his senses. This was more energy than he'd ever seen in the core. But why was Joker pushing the Normandy so hard? After taking a moment to wonder he decided to head to the bridge and see what was going on.<p>

Naruto stretched himself as he made his way down the walkway wearing only his ANBU armor, leaving his sage coat and weapons behind. He waved to Ken and Gabby who were too busy diverting power to notice as he passed by. Naruto left engineering and was about to call the elevator when it hissed open, revealing Commander Shepard.

Shepard looked over at the wide-eyed blonde, who asked, "Hey Commander, I was just coming up. Are we in a hurry?"

Shepard nodded, "Correct. A colony in the Terminus systems just went dark. It's called Horizon. We think it's a Collector attack."

Naruto felt his blood rush at the mention of the Collectors. "So this is it? We're finally gonna fight these guys?"

"As long as we're not too late. One of my old crew members is stationed there, hopefully they'll hold out until we arrive. We're heading there as fast as we can."

Naruto nodded with a cocky smirk, "Perfect. I've been waiting to see these things for myself. I'm gonna get ready." Naruto said as he prepared to leave.

Shepard paused for a moment to think, before grabbing the blonde's shoulder to stop him. "Wait, come with me. I'm about to wake up our krogan recruit. Back me up in case things go sour.

Naruto looked unsure but nodded. "Okay, but you sure? You know...me, and krogan...?"

"You've come out on top so far. That counts for something."

Naruto sighed to himself, but agreed to follow the Commander nonetheless. The two made the short trip down the hall to the storage chamber. Inside was a giant tube filled with a clear shimmering liquid and one giant krogan. The Krogan's crown was still broken and unformed and its skin was clear and unscarred, but that did little to make the creature any less intimidating.

"You sure letting this thing out is smart?" Naruto asked warily.

"It's a genetically perfect krogan, a super soldier. No defects of any kind. If the Collectors are on Horizon I want all the fighters I can get."

Naruto still didn't look convinced, "I get that, but what makes you think this thing will fight with us? I mean, can it even talk? It hasn't even been born yet."

"Okeer trained it with data imprints. It'll know what it needs."

Naruto sighed. "Alright, but let me enter sage mode before you open that thing, just in case."

"Why do you think I brought you?" Shepard asked as the blonde brought his hands together and became absolutely still. Entering sage mode aboard the ship was a simple task, especially with the core as active as it was. The entire deck was full of runoff energy just waiting to be picked up. He soaked it all in like a dry sponge until he was bathing in raw power. He finished and opened his yellow eyes in a flash. He was ready.

The Commander nodded to his squadmate and approached the console to trigger the tank's release. With a few commands the fluid in the tank began to move. Bubbles began rising through the liquid as its levels sunk lower into the base. Once the water was gone the tank door hissed open to release the brute inside.

The krogan stumbled forward onto the floor, his untested legs failing to keep him standing. He landed on all fours and began to heave as his lungs expelled the liquid that had filled them since they were first formed. Once they were emply the demanded to be full again, and the krogan gasped for breath for the first time in his life.

The krogan took several more heaving breaths before finally growing calm. Shepard and Naruto watched him carefully as he began to breathe normally, watching for my sign of hostile action. So they were ready when the krogan charged them.

The pair both dodged to the side as the newly born krogan rushed right past them. But neither expected the brute to be so agile, and he quickly followed Shepard to the right, pinning him to the wall. The krogan reared back its fist and tried to punch the Commander, but Shepard managed to raise its grip and duck under it before the blow struck. He rolled to the side as the krogan withdrew his fist from the now dented steel.

Before the krogan could rush him again Naruto leapt from behind and wrapped his arms around the Krogan's neck. But before he could secure his grip the krogan grabbed him and flipped him over, slamming him into the wall. The krogan backed up and prepared to charge him, but Naruto recovered and kicked off the wall, slamming his body into the krogan and sending them both through the glass wall.

The two broke apart as they skidded to a halt on the cargo hold floor. The krogan picked himself up without a fuss and charged at the still recovering blonde. Naruto felt the floor rumble as he charged and quickly stood up. With no chance to meet the krogan he raised his right foot behind him and slammed his toe into the metal floor, digging into it and creating a solid brace for himself to catch the charge. It's a good thing he did, or he'd have been trampled into the hull.

The krogan hit him with what felt like the force of a freight train. He cringed as his bones strained against the impact. His foot dug further into the hull as the krogan continued to push through him. Gritting his teeth the War Hero latched onto the Krogan's arms as they made to strike him. The krogan yanked against his grip and continued to press the blonde back.

The krogan continued to press his arms forward towards the former ANBU captain's neck, but his opponent was putting u a hell of a struggle. But as the seconds passed the krogan's hands inched closer and closer despite his enhanced strength. Naruto's eyes widened when he realized that the krogan was overpowering his sage mode. No one had ever outmuscled him in sage mode without using the eight gates!

The krogan grinned darkly, flashing a long row of giant teeth. "Heh heh heh..." He laughed lowly as his fingers brushed against human flesh.

Naruto growled as he dove to the side, putting a good distance between the two. The krogan stumbled forward before catching himself. He eyed his prey with predatory gaze as he readied himself to rush his target.

"You are strong. Good. I will guage my strength against yours." The krogan spoke lowly, almost mechanically.

Seeing a chance to end the fight Naruto spoke, "Why are you attacking? We don't want to fight you!"

The krogan looked confused at his words. "Want? The tank never asked what I want. I know only what I need. I need to fight. To determine the strongest. But Okeer's implant failed, his enemies are not my own." He spoke not to Naruto, but to himself. Discovering his own reasoning as he went along. "I have nowhere to focus my strength; one fight is as good as another. Might as well start with you."

Naruto cursed his luck, but decided not to stay on the defensive. "If that's what you want! Take this!" Naruto shouted as he rushed at the krogan. The krogan remained stoic as he prepared to bash the blonde as he approached, but at the last minute Naruto surprised him by bringing his hands into a cross seal, "Shadow clone jutsu!"

Two puffs of smoke surrounded Naruto, slowly dispersing to reveal identical copies of himself. The clones caught the krogan off guard, their punches so powerful they lifted the krogan off his feet. The original leapt off the backs of his clones and drove a kick straight into the airborne krogan, sending him flying into the opposite wall. His opponent caught himself as he fell to the floor. He grit his teeth and sneered at the War Hero, just waiting to go again.

Without warning the clones spread out and rushed at the krogan. His opponent remained steady as the clones came at him with all their strength. But the brute proved he was as fast as he was strong when the first clone came from the right side. He launched himself at the clone, tackling him to the ground. The clone was crushed under the immense weight, poofing away just as it had arrived.

The two remaining ninja pounced on the krogan and attempted to pin him to the ground, but before they could secure the krogan the brute let out a mighty roar and stormed to his feet. He grabbed the final clone on his back and hurled him across the cargo hold. It smashed against a pile of crates, sending them toppling over as it dispersed.

The krogan grabbed the final struggling blonde and slammed his body against the nearby wall, pinning him with his arm. Naruto brought his arms up to cover his head as the krogan launched punch after punch at his skull, knowing even one punch would be a blow he couldn't afford.

"Why," _Wham! _"do I," _Wham!_ "always," _Wham!_ "get," _Wham!_ "the krogan?!"

"Stop!" Shepard shouted as he emerged from the elevator. He carried an air of command as he approached the pair, far closer than a wary man would have dared.

The krogan turned to the newcomer without letting up his grip on his first opponent. "You. You are the one who released me from the tank. For that, I thank you. I will fight you after I finish this one. Won't be long."

The Commander shot the krogan a sharp look. "The fighting ends here. I'm Commander Shepard and I won't allow my own crew to ransack my ship."

The krogan eyed the Commander, looking him up and down to size him up. "You're a Commander? Are you this warrior's battlemaster?" Shepard's nod gave the krogan pause, "Are there more strong fighters you command?"

"An entire team. Every one of them has earned their place. We're building a squad to take on the Collectors, an alien race that threatens the entire galaxy."

The krogan looked at the floor as he thout his situation through, voicing his thoughts as he did, "An enemy that threatens galaxies. Yes, that'll do. Powerful warriors follow you. Are you worthy of my strength? We will see."

"So you'll fight with us?" Shepard asked.

"Bring me enemies, I'll give you bodies. I am the pinnacle of krogan creation. Lead me to great battles, or I will kill you and find them myself."

Shepard nodded, "That won't be an issue. We're headed for a fight right now, just hours from our destination. But first you need to release your teammate."

The krogan looked to the man he still had pinned to the wall, who gave him a disgruntled look as he said, "Anytime now."

With a huff he removed his giant arm, letting the man settle back on his feet. He shot the krogan a distrusting look as he rubbed his head, but said nothing. Shepard nodded. "I'm glad you saw it my way. You can come out now."

Naruto and his new teammate turned around when they heard a shuffling behind them. Beside them stood a giant crate with a single shotgun poking out from the side, aimed right at the Krogan's head. The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the hall as Jacob stepped out from behind the crates, cradling his Eviscerator shotgun as he walked.

"Good work Jacob. He didn't even notice."

"Good to be back, Commander." The man said with a small grin, never taking his eyes odd of the krogan.

The krogan chuckled darkly as he turned from Jacob to the Commander. "Always ready for a fight. Impressive. Our might will crush any who dare to challenge us."

Shepard stepped up to the krogan, offering his hand. "Then welcome to the team. You have a name?"

The question seemed to confuse th krogan, who once again began voicing his thoughts, "A name? Yes, I need a name. Okeer's implants could not connect this. His words...warlord, legacy, grunt...grunt. Okeer's last words. It's hollow, it has no meaning. It'll do." He raised his hand and firmly shook Shepard's, showing no surprise when the Commander matched his powerful grip. "I am Grunt."

Naruto crossed his arms as Shepard welcomed the newly christened 'Grunt' to the team. He turned to his side when he saw Jacob walk up to him, holding out a hand. "Nice to finally meet you, Uzumaki. I'm Jacob Taylor."

Naruto looked up at the dark man before taking his hand. "I remember. You got hurt on the mission to rescue me. I owe you for that."

Jacob gave a small laugh as he leaned against the wall. "It's fine, just glad to see I didn't take those rounds for nothing."

"You and me both. I killed the guys who shot you, by the way."

"Then consider us even."

Naruto nodded appreciatively at the man, who returned his grin. The two were called to attention by Shepard. "Jacob, take Grunt up to the armory. Find him a really big gun."

Jacob nodded. "Roger Commander." He motioned for Grunt to follow him, and the Super Soldier followed without a word.

As the two made their way to the elevator Shepard turned to Naruto, "You sure have a way with krogan."

"Not funny." He huffed back. At least he wouldn't need to visit the Doctor this time. "You sure it's smart to let him fight with us?"

Shepard shrugged, "The only thing I'm sure of is that we're outgunned, and we need all the firepower we can get our hands on. If he'll fight with us, I'll take whatever baggage that comes with it."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Naruto looked back on the retreating forms of Grunt and Jacob. The doubts Miranda had raised the day before poured back into his mind as they disappeared behind the elevator doors. Grunt reminded him a lot of Gaara, or at least the monster Gaara used to be. He thought of himself as a beast whose only purpose in life was to fight and to kill. It was all he'd been created for. Could he really work on a team with someone like that?

"I really wish I had your confidence." Naruto sighed. It was the Commander's decision, even if he thought it was a bad one.

"I think he'll surprise us before the end." Shepard said confidently.

Naruto was about to respond when the elevator doors opened once again. The pair turned to see Mordin walk out, looking chipper as usual.

"Shepard, EDI informed me of latest mission. Wish to share test results before we land, in case...do not survive."

Shepard let out a small breath of relief, so he had finished the countermeasure after all. "Good, we'll need that countermeasure for the mission."

Mordin's eyes lit up. "Oh! Oh yes, finished that days ago. Was referring to genetic testing between yourself and Naruto."

"Days ago?" Naruto asked.

Shepard looked at Mordin questioningly. "Why wasn't I informed."

"No immediate need. Never headed into seeker swarm infested area. Countermeasure ready for deployment. Collectors use Seeker Swarms, bug-shaped devices to trap targets. Simply created small jamming signal. Shroud organic presences within range. Should be effective." Mordin brought up his omnitool-tool and tapped a few keys in quick succession. He smiled as he finished, "There, countermeasure sent to all crew member omnitools."

Shepard and Naruto checked their omni-tools to find a message from Mordin containing the countermeasure. "Good work." Shepard said.

"Thank you. Now onto test results. Follow me." Mordin said as he turned to head back to the elevator. At the prompting of Shepard the pair followed him back to his lab.

* * *

><p>"Human test subject A: John Shepard, control group. Human test subject B: Naruto Uzumaki, experimental group. Test groups will also be known as type A humans and type B humans. Tested using samples and data collected over a decade by Cerberus scientists. Hacked firewall to access, very valuable information." Mordin began to lecture the two test subjects in his lab. Mordin spoke enthusiastically. He couldn't stop pacing around the lab, he was just so excited!<p>

"Genetic results astounding: approximately 98.3 percent of subject B genes are identical or nearly identical to subject A. Only 1.7 percent genetic difference. Quite vast really, human-chimpanzee genetic difference only 4 percent. Difference does little to alter typical appearance. Subject B body structure almost indistinguishable from subject A. However, human subject B shows greater potential for genetic diversity. Greater potential differences in height, weight, skin tone, hair and eye color, etcetera. Can you confirm?" Mordin paused while looking at Naruto expectantly.

Naruto blinked, surprised at being the sudden center of attention, but gathered himself to answer, "Uh, well yeah, I think. One of my old teammates had naturally bright pink hair, my master had naturally silver hair, my family on my mother's side had deep red hair. And where I come from some people have special bloodlines. Unique abilities, like controlling ice or having eyes that can copy movement and jutsu. Uzumaki like myself possess extra potent chakra, so I guess that counts too."

Mordin nodded, " Ah yes, bloodlines! Absolutely fascinating. Another sign of unprecedented genetic diversity. Unfortunately no other samples to compare bloodlines. Sad. But moving on." He paused to take a sharp breath. "Greatest difference between subjects involves chakra. Naturally generated element zero. Unheard of. Human subject B requires element zero to function. Learned to naturally produce it through evolution."

Mordin paused for a moment, placing a hand on his chin. "Subject B also shown to have natural knowledge of physics. Impossible to manipulate chakra otherwise, or perform jutsu requiring that knowledge. knowledge somehow coded into genes, like breathing. Also highly improbable that a species would evolve to create element zero naturally. Natural manipulation possible, creation improbable. Impossible even for Asari with current technology. How is this possible? Only one possible explanation."

Mordin stopped pacing in front of the duo, lacing his fingers behind his back. "Subject B DNA was manipulated at some time prior by an advanced race. Tested both samples, determined genetic variances occurred approximately 50,000 years ago. Suspect Prothean involvement."

Prothean? There was a word that didnt ring many bells. Naruto racked his brain for anything he might have read about the species, but all that he could remember reading was that they were extinct. After he learned that he hadn't bothered to research anything else about them. But there was one part of Mordin's explanation he understood, and he wasn't happy about it.

"So you think that me, and all of my friends back home, are the result of some kind of alien experiment?"

Mordin nodded, not picking up on the young man's frustration. "Yes, most likely conclusion. Protheans likely terra formed eezo-rich world into a similar habitat. Removed earth flora and fauna along with humans."

"But why? Wy would they do that?" Naruto asked.

"Several possible explanations. Testing their capabilities for genetic manipulation of alien species. Or creating a biotic force to use against the Reapers. Most likely option but still impossible to tell. Hmm...reason unimportant. All that matters is results. Whatever your origin, yours is a species of powerful warriors with unprecedented genetic diversity. However, one downside." Mordin paused again, looking at Naruto with a hint of concern. "Altered genetic makeup may have left type B humans more susceptible to mental instability. Can you confirm this?" Mordin asked.

Naruto put a hand on his chin as he thought, remembering all the people he had met and their little quirks.

_"Gai-sensei!"_

_"Lee-kun!"_

_"I'M NOT FAT! I'M PLEASANTLY PLUMP!"_

_"Your body will be mine, Sasuke-kun!"_

_"Ehehehehehe! I'm a super-pervert!"_

_"Your deaths will validate my existence..."_

_"Art is a BANG!"_

_"Naaaaaruuuuutoooooo!"_

Naruto buried his head in his palm as he answered.

"This explains _way_ too much..."

Mordin nodded, taking that as a confirmation of his theory. "That's everything I have now. Will prepare for the mission. Good day Shepard, Naruto." Mordin nodded as he returned to his work.

Shepard nodded and motioned for Naruto to follow him out. They didn't go far though. Instead of heading towards the bridge Shepard led them into a hallway leading to the conference room. He stopped in the middle, turning to face the blonde. "How're you holding up?"

Naruto looked at the Commander questioningly, unsure how to answer. "What do you mean?"

"That was a lot to take in. You alright?" Shepard asked.

The blonde shrugged as he leaned against the wall, looking at nothing in particular. "There's been a lot on my mind for a while now, Shepard. I'm just dealing with things as they come. This isnt anything different."

"Are you sure?"

"Yup. I'm fine. This is nothing compared to everything else." Naruto smiled reassuringly.

"Alright. Go get your gear. We'll be assembling by the shuttle in an hour."

"Roger." Naruto said, giving the Commander a quick salute as he left for the armory.

Once the doors sealed shut Naruto dropped his smile, crossing his arms as his head dropped. He'd always been good at putting on a mask to hide his emotions ever since he was a child. He learned when he was very young he couldn't pass his burden onto people that he cared for. His problems were his to solve, not someone else's. So it was easy to say he was fine, even when he was lying through his teeth.

Ever since he'd come aboard the Normandy it had always been one thing after another. From aliens trying to poison him to Miranda's lecture avout the ststus of their 'team', things just kept piling up to add to his stress. And now with this, he could feel the weight of everything beginning to crush him.

Could it be true? His people had been manufactured? The experiments of some ancient aliens who wanted to use them as weapons of war? It was anything but pleasant to imagine, especially since he'd felt it all before. He was a jinchuriki, he was all too familiar with the thought of being turned into a weapon. But the thought of all his friends, his precious people, being no more than a manufactured tool for use by sme alien race? It was just too much for him to take in at once.

Naruto violently shook his head as he tried to clear his head. He wished Mordin hadn't told him just before a mission. He wanted time to sort things out, get it out of the way with to go into battle with a clear mind. But he couldn't dwell on this now. There wasn't time. Shepard would need everyone at their best on the mission. He would not be the weak link in the squad.

"Damnit Mordin..." Naruto cursed as he made his way to the elevator.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

Okay, so I've got some news. I've been in delayed entry for the US Navy for a while now and I'm scheduled to ship out to Navy boot camp come early January. And I'm pretty darn sure writing fanfiction isn't how we spend our down time, if we even get downtime. That means two months with absolutely no writing and no updates. Sorry everyone, but it's not something I can change. I'll be back early March I believe, and I'll post an update to my profile when I'm back.

I'm going to finish this story up through Horizon before I leave, and depending on how long it turns out that could be one or two more chapters. Not sure if ill have time for Ripples of the Rinnegsn, but that isn't the priority. Horizon marks the end of the first arc of this story and I want to get there before I leave.

Second order of business: it turns out ponies are more awesome than I ever thought possible. Particularly My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. If you haven't seen it, give it a chance. Yes, you too men. Girly does not equal bad, suck up your pride and take a look. Being a man does not mean you're instantly judge mental of something just because of a label.

Sooo...yeah, shout out to all my bronies, your herd just gained a proud Quarian helmsman of the Qwib Qwib. :)

So onto the story. This chapter was more set up and character building than anything else. Still, I'm happy with how it turned out. Happy to finally begin to fully tie in the Naruto Universe to the Mass Effect Universe. I'd have gone more into depth, but science is not my forte. If you see any wrong facts, don't blame me, blame google. If you know something is strong, let me know and I'll correct it. Thank you.

Also, this chapter was planned and begun before chapter 614. Also, canon beyond the Pain arc is not my friend. So Neji is here. Deal with it. :P

Well, that's everything. Thanks for reading, leave a review if you're feeling happy, as they put a smile on my face beneath my envirosuit helmet. And as always I will write more soon.


	7. Horizon

**Chapter 7**

**Horizon**

* * *

><p>Nestled comfortably in the middle of a lush valley, the colony of Horizon was seen by the people as the perfect place to call home. Free from outside control the people lived their lives in peace. The small community was close; people would always take topi me to give a smile and a greeting to anyone they met as they prepared for a new day. Children young and old played in the streets as the adults went about their duties. Everywhere you went you'd find a citizen with a smile on their face. Truly this was paradise.<p>

But there was one among them who knew full well that even a paradise could burn. They'd watched it happen just two years ago, when a land even more beautiful than this was scarred by the fires of war. They did not intend to let it happen again. The lone alliance soldier stood apart from the rest of the colonists, resting under a lone tree in a rare moment of downtime.

The resting soldier's eyes opened at the sound of approaching footsteps. Old reflexes flared up putting them on the alert, but quickly dying down upon seeing the dark-haired woman approaching him.

"Staff Commander Alenko, sleeping on the job I see." The woman observed.

The man picked himself off and dusted off his armor, "Just taking a break, Lilith. Been fixing those defense towers so long I'm starting to think in calculus."

"Still having trouble calibrating the targeting matrix?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Yes, I need those technicians you took to work on the comm systems to figure it out."

Lilith frowned, shaking her head. "Sorry Commander, but getting communications back online takes priority."

"Of course," Alenko sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "There's always something, isn't there? I suppose the people'll try to pin that one on me, too."

"The people here don't trust the alliance, Commander. It's nothing personal." Lilith reassured him.

Alenko gave a stiff nod before turning away. "I know, but it sure isn't helping any..." He trailed off as he noticed a low thundering sound coming from the sky. He looked up at the sky to see what could be causing it. Those weren't storm clouds, what could be making that kind of noise?

Lilith noticed the noise as it slowly grew louder, looking at the Commander with concern. "Kaiden, what's going on."

"I dunno. Stay back, just in case." Kaiden said as he reached for his rifle. He kept his unwavering gaze fixed at the sky as the thundering grew louder and louder until the very air was shaking. Colonists began coming out of their homes wondering what was going on. Kaiden raised his rifle to the sky, using its scope to magnify his vision. And then he saw it.

A massive object descended through the clouds, a spaceship unlike anything he'd ever seen. It looked more organic than metal, as if someone had lifted a mountain out of the very earth and attached an enormous engine to make it fly. The metal buried beneath its mountainous exterior glowed blue in several sections with powerful eezo energy.

Kaiden didnt know what it was or why it was here, but he doubted it was for anything good. He turned to the colonist beside him, "Lilith, gather your people and get to the bunker."

The woman stood frozen in fear, barely able to respond, "Wh...what?"

Kaiden looked back at the sky and raised his rifle. It looked like a dark cloud Was just released from the ship, heading right for them. An audible buzzing filled his ears as they got closer and closer.

"Go!" Kaiden ordered as he fired his rifle into the oncoming swarm, "Get everyone to safety! I'll cover you as best I can!"

Lilith snapped out of her stupor at the sound of gunfire. She didnt hear Kaiden's words. She only saw the incoming infestation. Fear gripped her heart, and she ran. She ran for her life.

* * *

><p>The Cerberus Kodiat shuttle broke through the dark clouds above the garden world as it soared towards the colony. The pilot wasted no time in heading right for the safest drop zone for fear of being detected. The craft came to a stop above a small stretch of flora-covered terrain on the outskirts of the colony and slowly descended. As it gently placed down on a small patch of grass the pilot killed the engines and opened the door. Commander Shepard stepped out of the shuttle with his Avenger in hand, his eyes locking onto the gigantic ship off in the distance.<p>

The rest of the ground team quickly followed him out of the shuttle. Grunt leapt out first, eager to experience his first real battle. Naruto followed, shaking his head at the krogan's eagerness which had put even his own to shame. He was followed by Garrus, Mordin, Jacob, Zaeed and finally Miranda after she locked down the shuttle.

"Everyone ready?" The Commander asked once everyone's feet were on solid ground.

Jacob nodded, "Definitely. Good to be back in the field, Shepard."

Grunt huffed. "I was born ready. Where are my promised enemies?"

"Over there." Garrus called out, spotting a swarm of seekers circling off in the distance. "Let's hope your countermeasure works, Mordin."

"Will be fine. Well...most likely. Countermeasure works in theory. Need actual test against live seeker swarms to confirm. Have to test it in person, should be exciting." Mordin said as his lips split into a happy grin.

"We'll, at least someone's happy." Miranda said sarcastically. "I hope your reputation's as good as I've heard."

"If it's not this'll be a hell of a short mission." Zaeed finished.

"It won't come to that." The Commander said at he turned to Naruto, "Can you sense anyone with sage mode?"

"Just a sec." Naruto said as he brought his fists together and closed his eyes to focus. He reached out with his natural energy, trying to feel for any potential element zero signatures in the area. After nearly a minute of standing absolutely still he stopped. "Aside from us, I'm only sensing one eezo life form on the colony. If there's anything else it's too small for me to detect, and I can't detect any bodies that aren't biotics."

Miranda sighed, "Then we can't get a count of how many are on the ground with us."

"Well at least we know they aren't biotics. I'll take what I can get." Garrus said, "And that one biotic you sensed must be Kaiden. He's still alive."

"We'll take whatever good news we can get." Shepard said. " We'll move up in three rows, three up front for close combat, three behind them for support, and two in the rear for sniper fire. Garrus, Zaeed, you're sniping from the rear. Miranda, Mordin and Jacob will support us in the middle. Grunt, Naruto, you're up front with me. No one fires without my command. Lets move."

The team quickly got into position with Shepard at the front center flanked by Grunt to his left and Naruto to his right. Shepard led his team into the beginning of the colony, cautions for any enemy activity. The outskirts of the colony had been lightly populated and were more open than its interior, giving the eight-man team space to spread out. As they walked they found no humans or collectors, no signs of life whatsoever. It was as if every living soul just got up and left, just like on Freedom's Progress.

Naruto cradled his carnifex as the team continued through the buildings. He was back in his usual attire, sage cloak over ANBU armor. Aside from standard ninja tools and his sword he'd only brought his two hand weapons, as he didn't feel comfortable enough with his mantis to use it in the field. The entire area was silent save for their group's footsteps as they moved up. The blonde idly brought his free hand up to his sword, letting his fingers run across the cloth strap reassuringly. This was the fight he'd been waiting for; he could feel his heart pounding in his chest as his body prepared for the inevitable encounter.

The squad continued through the colony until they arrived at what looked to be a small park. Potted plants lined the dining structure, and would have given the spot a warm feeling if not for the shroud of emptiness that blanketed the entire colony. The Commander lowered his rifle as he surveyed the scene. Giving the all clear he signaled for his squad to approach.

Garrus kept his eye down the scope of his mantis as they continued their advance, scanning their vector on the lookout for enemies. His efforts were handsomely rewarded when he spotted something approaching. Something far bigger than a seeker.

"I've got something. Looks like a swarm of giant flying cockroaches." He announced to the team.

Zaeed brought his rifle up and confirmed it. "Bloody bastards are on their way."

"Everyone get ready!" Shepard called as he steadied his avenger.

Grunt pounded his fists together in his excitement. "Finally! A real enemy to test my strength."

Shepard watched the skies carefully, watching as the flying swarm of incoming collectors split, one heading straight for them while the other flew around. "They're splitting off to attack from behind! Grunt, Naruto, cover the front. Mordin and Garrus will cover you. Jacob, Miranda, Zaeed, you're with me covering the rear!"

"Roger, Commander." Garrus called as he and everyone stepped into their assigned team, one human and one alien. Naruto and Mordin took cover behind a barrier beside the dining structure where Garrus set up a sniper nest. And Grunt...

"Heh heh heh..." Grunt flashed his teeth as if he planned to devour the incoming collectors. He balled his fingers into tight fists, making no movement to reach for his eviscerator shotgun.

"Grunt! Get to cover!" Garrus called as he laid his rifle on the steel railing.

But Grunt just kept staring hungrily at the collectors as they began their descent. "No. My first kill will not be credited to a tool. It will be all my own!"

The first collector touched down a mere five meters away from the team. Garrus called for Grunt to stop, but if the krogan heard him he did not listen. Grunt rushed across the battlefield as fast as his legs would carry him and was upon the hapless drone in moments, tackling it to the ground. Grunt stood again with the collector drone in hand, one hand gripping its collar and another near its waist. He lifted the dazed creature above him and pulled with all his might. The drone flailed in a desperate attempt to break free, but it did little good. Grunt gave a mighty roar as strength tore the creature in two, spilling blood all over his body.

Grunt stood there for a moment, feeling the blood dribble down his unformed crown as he dropped the bisected corpse. In that moment, everything in the world just felt so _right! _Here was where he belonged, in the heart of the battlefield. Grunt reared his head back and let out a roar that echoed throughout the colony, as if to challenge the gods that he was wrong.

Just hours after his birth, the Super Soldier had found his place in the galaxy, and taken his first life in the most gruesome way his young mind could imagine. He promised himself many more would follow. Looking at the rest of the collectors as they landed Grunt grinned to himself and charged.

Naruto cursed to himself as he surveyed the scene. Grunt rushed head first into a swarm of enemies with only his armor for protection. "Damnit, the brute is gonna die before he's even one day old!" He shouted.

Mordin nodded, firing his machine pistol at a distant collector. From this distance he couldn't even drop their barriers without emptying an entire clip. "Most likely. Very problematic. Grunt has pushed collectors too far back. Must advance to less secure position if to assist." Mordin looked back over their cover, nodding to himself. "Assist Grunt. I will cover you."

"You sure? You're not a soldier like the rest of us." Naruto said as he peeked around the corner. Grunt just bashed another collector into a wall and Garrus took one out to with a shot to one of its four eyes.

"I have done my share of killing. I will cover you." Mordin reaffirmed as he replaced the thermal clip.

Naruto nodded and gripped his sword. "If you say so. Let's go!"

The pair leapt over the barrier and split off, Mordin going for closer cover while Naruto made a beeline to the nearest collector. He flipped his sword around so he was holding the blade and threw it as hard as he could at the collector. The sword flipped through the air before embedding itself right in the collector's armored chest. It didnt sink in and only staggered the collector, but Naruto leapt through the air and slammed his foot into the end of the blade, burying it all the way up to the hilt. Naruto grabbed the blade and withdrew it as the collector crumpled to the ground.

Naruto rolled to cover behind a pillar when a few rounds collided with his shields. The two collectors paused and began approaching the pillar to force him out from cover. Naruto quickly shoved the tip of his blade into the ground and pulled out his two handguns. In his left hand he held his shuriken machine pistol and in his right his carnifex hand cannon.

Naruto pushed chakra into his feet and ran up the pillar as high as he could go. When he reached the top five meters off the ground he leapt off straight for the approaching collectors. The two weren't expecting him to come from above and barely got their rifles up in time to fire a few rounds, but they didnt have enough time to drop his shields before Naruto landed on them, sending them both to the ground. Now standing over the two Naruto fired both his weapons into his downed enemies, the point blank fire tearing right through them.

Having finished the two off Naruto ran back to grab his sword, only to be smacked with the butt of a rifle as he turned the corner. He staggered back in a daze as the attacking collector raised his rifle to fire, but just before it could it was hit by an orange ball. The ball burst on impact covering the collector with flames. Mordin rose from cover again and fired a few well aimed pistol shots at the collector, who crumpled in a dying blaze.

Naruto regained his senses in time to watch Grunt stomp his last victim into the ground as Garrus dropped the last straggler with a final shot from his mantis. Garrus stored his rifle and made his way onto the battlefield as Mordin did the same. They joined Naruto and together the three made their way over to Grunt. The krogan looked to be in a calm trance. His eyes were closed, and he was breathing deeply.

"Grunt, you...alright?" Garrus asked as he approached, unsure if he was asking the right question."

Grunt's eyes parted as he turned to his squadmates. "I feel...I don't have the words to describe it." His gaze hardened, "But I want more."

"And you'll get it." The group turned as Shepard and the rest approached, looking a little worse for wear. Shepard surveyed the scene, taking note of the more gruesome kills. "Any trouble?"

"Not from our enemies," Garrus said. "You?"

"Nothing we couldn't handle. The collectors aren't as well armed as we thought."

Jacob nodded, " They probably weren't expecting resistance. The seeker swarms were supposed to handle anything that might be a threat."

"Collector tactics resemble to hit-and-run, likely unequipped for large-scale combat." Mordin paused while taking a sharp breath. "Collectors likely to retreat if a high-level threat is presented."

"Bloody cowards." Zaeed said.

"So let's have the Normandy hit it." Naruto chimed in, "The ship isn't moving, just tell Joker to fire away.

Miranda shook her head, "We don't know what kind of defenses the collector ship has. We may be putting the Normandy in danger if we have it enter atmosphere."

Shepard took a moment to think over the situation. If they could force the collectors back now it would save whoever they had yet to collect. But they couldn't risk losing the Normandy, they still needed it for when they went through the Omega 4 relay.

Shepard nodded when he made his decision. They just couldn't risk it. "We keep the Normandy on standby. This colony's equipped with GARDIAN laser defense towers. If we can activate them they'll take care of the ship."

His XO nodded in agreement, "Alright, how do you want us to approach?"

"We split into two teams. We'll approach the defense array from two points to keep them from gathering all their forces at one point. If you see any surviving colonists, try and get them to safety. Miranda will lead the second squad of Jacob, Naruto and Zaeed. Garrus, Grunt and Mordin are with me. We keep in contact for the entire approach."

Miranda nodded and pulled out her machine pistol. "Roger, Commander. We'll meet you there."

"Good luck everyone." Shepard said as he and Miranda led their teams in separate directions.

* * *

><p>Naruto peeked around the corner of a building, searching for any sign of movement. The street was lifeless, just like all the others. He turned and gave Miranda a nod to tell her the coast was clear. Miranda turned to Zaeed and Jacob and signaled for the group to move on.<p>

The four of them moved out into the grassy street and made their way through the buildings. The group was once again surrounded by silence as they continued through the empty colony.

With every vacant building they passed, the sense of dread swelling in his chest continued to grow. Homes that should be filled with families trying to build lives for themselves were desperately bare. Some of the homes still had fresh cooked meals on the table that were half eaten. The whole place was left as if everyone just got up and left in the middle of their daily routine.

Jacob raised his new scimitar shotgun as he scanned one of the buildings on their right.

"Wait..." Jacob said as he came to a halt.

"Spot something?" Miranda asked as she readied her machine pistol.

"In there. Someone's still inside."

Miranda quickly surveyed the scene to make sure no enemies were in sight before continuing. "Move in. If there are bodies here the collectors will return for them."

The four-man squad filed into the building with Jacob at the front to clear the building. At the other end of the hallway there was an elderly couple huddled in the corner, frozen in a shimmering light. Miranda walked over to them and examined the pair, checking for any movement.

"Their eyes, they're still moving..." Miranda trailed off as she stepped back, "They're trapped in stasis fields, but they're still aware."

"Just waiting to be picked up." Jacob said. "So this is how the collectors never leave a trace, the seeker swarms trap them before they have a chance to leave a warning."

Zaeed strolled over to the window and took a look outside. Still no sign of collectors. Good. He turned back around to find Miranda and Jacob still talking about the stasis fields. Naruto was walking near the living area, where the television was playing and a bowl of half-eaten chips rested on the table. His eyes were glazed over, lost to whatever thoughts were running through his head.

"Oi, something's wrong with the kid." He asked to no one in particular.

Jacob and Miranda turned back to Naruto, who was still staring at the living room. Jacob walked over and out a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you okay?" He asked, giving his shoulder a light shake.

The feeling brought Naruto back to reality. He looked Jacob in the eye before turning back to the scene before him. When his voice came out, it was barely above a whisper.

"Déjà vu."

What're you talking about?" He asked.

Naruto cast a sideways glance at him before walking into the center of the room. He hesitated for a moment, but he could feel their gaze on his back expecting him to answer. Taking a small breath he began to share his story.

"It was back in the war. With all five great villages and the samurai against him, Madara managed to form alliances with most of the minor villages. Grass, Waterfall, Star, even remnants of the Sound and Rain villages all joined him. We didn't always know why. Maybe Madara was controlling their leaders, or they resented the larger villages enough to side with him if it meant defeating us. Or maybe they really did want a fake peace. We never bothered to find out.

"I was a part of one mission near the end of the war, a silent assault on Grass. Their guerrilla tactics were hindering supply lines, so the Raikage wanted them dealt with. Over a thousand ANBU from all five villages took part in it. I was backing up Gaara, the Kazekage, who was taking out their head ninja. We infiltrated their village at night and headed to their underground bunker. We were barely inside before Gaara filled the entire bunker with his sand. He killed everyone inside without a fight."  
>Naruto paused for a moment, gathering himself before he spoke again. "The sun had risen when we came back up. The ANBU were gone, and so were the people."<p>

He gently balled his fists at his sides, trying to keep his voice calm. "The village was so quiet, like the night had never ended. Just like this." Naruto gestured to the room. "No bodies, no struggle, nothing. Whatever the ANBU did, it made them just _disappear_." Naruto went quiet, not wanting to share anymore.

In the seven years since the war, that mission stayed with him no matter how hard he had wanted to bury it. Walking through that ghost town had been the most haunting experience of his life. Gaara had warned him not to look, telling him that he shouldn't have to see this. But he hadn't allowed himself to remain ignorant. So he saw everything he could. The empty homes, the half-finished meals, the empty playgrounds with toys scattered about, waiting for owners who would never return. He left that village scarred, but he returned to his people with a smile, just like he always did. He hid his pain behind his mask, hoping it would never fester again.

But it did, and it felt worse than ever. He never asked how they did it, or what happened to all of the people. Not even after joining the ANBU. He never wanted to know. But now he was seeing it happen right before his eyes. His mind wasn't going to let him bury this. Not like the rest.

This...this was _evil_. His people, his fellow shinobi had done something so _evil! _And he had done nothing but sit back and let them!

_'Not this time.' _He thought to himself, feeling his agony slowly igniting into a fierce rage inside him.

Zaeed heard something down the road. A low shallow chirping and the sound of many footsteps. It was getting louder. "Company." He said quietly.

Miranda and Jacob reacted immediately, taking cover behind the opening with Zaeed. Naruto hesitated for a moment, but followed soon after.

"They must be here for them." Jacob said, motioning to the frozen couple at the far corner.

Miranda nodded and cautiously peeked her head over the railing, spotting the incoming collectors before ducking down quickly. "There's four of them guiding a pair of pods. We'll each take one out. Zaeed, far left. Jacob, near left. Naruto, near right. Clear?" Naruto gave her a stiff nod, still not entirely recovered from his earlier musings. The rest nodded as well. "Good, wait for my signal."

The four went dead silent as they listened to the collectors' approach. The footsteps grew closer and closer until they were right in front of the opening.

"Now!" Miranda called. The four rose from their cover to meet four collectors caught by surprise. The squad open fired n their target, taking the group down with a single burst of weapon fire. They didn't even have time to be surprised.

Miranda led her squad back onto the street to examine the pods, which fell to the ground upon the deaths of their guides. "They must've rounded up most of the colony by now. We don't have much time."

"What about the people in the home?" Jacob asked. "We can't just leave them."

"Those stasis fields don't have a power source. Once they're exhausted the people will be free. Don't worry about them." She replied.

Zaeed interrupted as he raised his sniper rifle. "We got more buggers coming, eleven coming straight ahead."

Jacob looked up as he readied his shotgun. "Even more, twelve at least."

_Bang!_

"Count 'em again." Zaeed said as he ejected the clip.

"Jacob, Naruto, take the lead. We'll cover you from the rear." Miranda instructed as the collectors closed in on them. Jacob ran behind a barrier attached to a building while Naruto took cover in a doorway a little further ahead. Miranda and Zaeed kneeled behind the fallen collector pods as the drones arrived.

Naruto fired wildly with his machine pistol at the oncoming collectors, forcing them to take cover and delay their advance. He cursed as his thermal clip forcibly ejected and scoured his belt for a replacement.

He was angry, angrier than he'd been in a long time. He wasn't even sure what he was supposed to be angry at. With no time to sort through his rage he focused it all on the collectors, feeling dark satisfaction with every round he fired.

Another collector fell at the cost of a full thermal clip. Naruto got back behind cover after a barrage of rounds hit his shield, dropping it dangerously low. He was ejecting the thermal clip as he waited for his shields to recharge when he heard a strange noise from inside the home. He whipped around just in time to see a glowing blue arm swipe at him, knocking him back off his feet.

Naruto lost his grip on his weapon as he skidded to the ground out in the open. He caught himself as he fell and rolled onto his back to see his attacker. Just as he did a rotting human form with glowing blue tubes spread along its body. Another approached from the background as the first crouched over him, readying its powerful arms for another strike.

Before the blonde could react he suddenly felt something jolt him, picking him up and pulling him into the air. The creature reared back from the sudden burst of energy as Naruto turned to see Jacob, whose body was glowing in the the after-effects of biotic use. Jacob tossed the floating blonde his unused pistol as he readied his shotgun. Naruto caught it mid-flight and fired at his attacker while Jacob took out the other, slamming round after round into the deformed bodies before they finally crumpled over.

Naruto felt the energy around him dissipate once he was near Jacob, letting him land right beside him. "Thanks for that." He said, handing the man back his pistol.

"Anytime." Jacob smirked as he took it.

Miranda finished off the last collector by detonating her warped target with a throw, sending the creature rearing back before slamming into a wall. She gave the all clear before she approached the downed creatures that had attacked Naruto. She kneeled down to examine them, and after a minute brought her hand to her ear to contact the Commander. "Shepard, we've encountered husks like the ones you found on Eden Prime."

After a moment he responded, _"Copy. Have you seen any dragons teeth where you are? There's been none on our path."_

"Negative. The collectors must have arrived with them."

_"Then it's confirmed: the collectors are working with the Reapers. Keep heading to the tower, my team's nearly there."_

"Roger, we'll join up with you shortly."

Naruto kneeled beside Miranda and looked at the husks, from the strange blue tubes running through their skin to their strange glowing eyes. "They look so human." He pondered aloud.

"They were." Miranda explained, catching him off guard. "Synthetic reaper slaves created from the bodies of human dead."

Naruto felt something grip his heart as he continued to look at the abominations. "So there were...people?"

"Once." She said as she stood. "Time to go, Shepard's almost at the defense array."

"...Right." Naruto said as he followed the rest of them through the colony. He cast one last glance at the fallen husks, and clenched his fists as his rage continued to grow.

* * *

><p>Shepard and his team finished off the last collector guarding the GARDIAN command console and made their way up. He ascended the platform and activated the console, contacting the Normandy while he did.<p>

"EDI, I've got access. I'm opening an uplink, work on calibrating the firing matrix."

"Commander, the collector ship is jamming my outgoing signal. I am unable to communicate with the uplink."

"Damn." Shepard turned to Garrus, who was looking at him expectantly. "You think you can calibrate these things?"

Garrus just shot him an amused smirk, "Did you forget who you're talking to?" Garrus stepped forward and looked over the data on the display. "It's tricky, but nothing I can't handle. I'll have the towers power up while I'm correcting this. You'll need to cover me."

Shepard nodded and opened up a line to the Normandy, "Joker, get the Normandy into attack position. Once those turrets are active I want strafing runs to assist. Hit it before its defenses have time to hit you back."

"_Aye aye, Commander._" Came Joker's reply.

"Grunt, Mordin, set up a defensive perimeter around the console." Shepard commanded. The console was in the middle of an open area surrounded by crates, completely exposed to enemy fire. They had to keep their focus off Garrus while he worked.

Luckily they had Grunt, who like any newborn took all the attention he could get. The krogan loved battle more than anyone Shepard had ever met, including Urdnot Wrex himself. It was all Grunt knew, and it made him a deadly, if single-minded warrior.

Mordin Solus had been a surprise. He hadn't expected a doctor to prove himself on the battlefield, but it seemed there was little the Professor could not excel at. The salarian was a perfect foil for Grunt; what he lacked in brute force he made up for with his technology and tactics, striking a target at its weakest point to maximize his efforts.

The team waited for several minutes before a new wave of collectors arrived. Grunt and Mordin worked on the larger group that landed near the entrance while he faced a trio that landed on a walkway to the right.

Bringing up his avenger he managed to take the first out before it hit the ground, while the other two touched down and crouched behind cover. Shepard replaced his rifle with his katana shotgun and rushed onto the walkway, catching them by surprise and firing into the nearest one before they had a chance to react. With only one left Shepard ducked behind the railing and ejected the spent clip. He was just about to finish the last one off when he heard a deep, powerful voice.

**"Assuming direct control.****"**

Shepard looked up to see the remaining drone hovering above the ground, dropping its rifle as it began to squirm in midair. It's shell began to break with golden light emerging from the cracks, giving the impression of an erupting volcano. The drone dropped back to earth and got to its feet, stepping forward without reaching for its weapon.

Without warning the collector's arm lashed forward, releasing a sphere of black energy soaring towards the Commander's position. Shepard sprinted off the walkway back behind a set of crates. The warped sphere impacted the railing with a deafening force, blasting the metal apart.

The collector calmly walked down the ramp as Shepard brought out his avenger and open fired. His aim was perfect, with every round finding its mark. But the collector appeared unfazed.

**"Your attacks are primitive, Shepard.****"**

Shepard cursed as he pulled out a set of grenades from his belt. He looked over and judged the distance, preparing to pull the pins. But then Naruro came flying over the side barrier. He planted his feet on the wall and launched himself at Shepard's attacker, tackling the possessed drone sending them both toppling into a pile of crates.

Shepard looked from the grenades in his hand to the pile of scattered crates, then back to his grenades. "Am I ever going to use these?"

* * *

><p>Naruto picked himself among the pile of crates as the collector slowly did the same. Looking back he saw the rest of his team fighting a new wave of collectors. Turning back to the glowing drone he stored his pistol and pulled out his sword. If Shepard's assault rifle hadn't scratched this thing, he wasn't going to bother with his sidearms. This thing looked like it could take a beating. Good. He really needed something to hit!<p>

The War Hero grabbed onto a nearby crate and flung it with all the strength he could gather in sage mode. The crate hurled at the possessed drone, who simply raised its arm and trapped the crate in a biotic field, flinging it to the side. The collector turned to face the blonde and calmly advanced on the ninja.

Naruto drew his ANBU blade and rushed at the drone, extending his wind chakrs down the metal and bringing the blade down on its head. The collector raised an arm to block, its powerful barrier and natural armor stopping the blade from reaching flesh. The swordsman kept up his rapid barrage. Slashing, stabbing, but the collector parried every blow with ease.

Mindless hacking was getting him nowhere, Naruto knew he had to make an opening. Fortunately as he planned his next attack the GARDIAN lasers came online. The towers began firing at the immobile collector ship as the Normandy broke atmosphere to deliver a pair of Javelin missiles, after which it soared off to plan a second strafe. The attack diverted the drone's attention long enough for him to strike. Naruto lashed out and grabbed the collector's left arm and yanked it down. Flipping his sword into an underhand grip he then stabbed it straight into the drone's body, right into the glowing cracks between the plates, driving it all the way to the hilt.

The possessed drone paused as the blade pierced his shell. For a moment the shinobi thought he'd finally won. But then he felt a hand pressed against his gut.

**"These attacks are pointless."**

A black biotic energy burst from the hand at his stomach, blasting him clear across the field. He slammed into a wall and tumbled to the ground. He clenched his teeth as he felt every nerve in his body flare with pain, hindering him from getting to his feet.

The metal of the blade grew white hot from the raw power coursing through the drone's body, turning the ANBU blade to liquid metal. The handle of the blade melted off from the rest and fell to to the ground.

A sudden burst of shotgun fire slammed against his barriers. The collector turned to meet Shepard, who was looking down the barrel of his weapon. "Just what the hell are you?" He asked lowly.

**"We are the Harbinger of your perfection. We are your genetic destiny."**

The being called Harbinger began making his way towards Shepard, who began backing up as he fired into Harbinger's seemingly impenetrable barriers.

**"If I must tear you apart, Shepard, I will."**

As another biotic detonation went off signaling the duel between Harbinger and Shepard, the fallen shinobi finally felt his senses returning. Naruto growled as he shakily stood, holding his stomach as he did. That blast had blown away his shields and taken a large chunk of his armor. He could feel blood seeping into the black cloth that remained intact. It seemed injury on missions was unavoidable for him.

He looked back at Harbinger, who continued to fire an array of deadly biotic missiles at Shepard. The Commander had abandoned holding his ground and had resorted to running and gunning. The towers continued their assault on the ship as the Normandy continued to perform strafing runs to assist.

Naruto turned his attention back to Harbinger, who continued to press towards Shepard. All his other squadmates were still engaging the other collector drones and husks. If anyone was going to help Shepard, it had to be him.

But how? Guns wouldn't work, at least not anything he carried. He'd funneled wind chakra into his blade, and that just slid off its plated skin. And even when stabbed all the way through it did no good, so normal ninja tools were out too. Ninjutsu? He wasn't sure what kind of jutsu he'd need to breach those barriers, and he didn't have time to experiment. This had to end fast, before Harbinger hit them with any more of those biotics. That left just one thing to do.

Naruto crossed his fingers and created to clones. The three went to work forming and moulding the wind and shape chakra into a raging whirlwind in the palm of the original's hand. The miniature storm began to take shape, taking the shape of a giant shimmering white shuriken. He funneled the last of his sage chakra into the technique before it was fully formed, but it would be worth it.

The clones dispersed as Naruto leapt onto the crate, looking to get a clear shot at Harbinger. He saw him still advancing on Shepard noticeably faster than before. "Shepard, get clear!" He called, catching the man's attention. Shepard picked himself up from cover and put distance between himself and Harbinger, giving Naruto his chance.

Naruto held his arm high as he called, "Rasenshuriken!" He threw the jutsu at the lone collector, sending the wind shuriken roaring towards its target. Harbinger felt the powerful energy heading his way. The vessel's arms flew up and focused his barrier to shield his form from the attack. But after shielding the vessel for so long its barrier was growing weak, and the rasenshuriken sliced it in two before smashing into the collector. The shuriken burst as it hit the flesh, sending microscopic blades of wind chakra throughout the impact zone. The blades tore through the vessel, tearing it apart molecule by molecule.

**"Impressive."**

Amid the dome of spiraling white chakra left by the technique a flash of fiery red signaled the disintegration of Harbinger's vessel. Naruto and Shepard stepped up to the remains once the chakra had dispersed, only to find a small crater with nothing remaining.

"You don't do anything with subtlety, do you." Shepard observed.

"I'll surprise you, Shepard. I always do." Naruto said confidently as he looked at the crater with a sense of twisted pride.

**"We are not finished."**

Before the pair could react another Harbinger-possessed drone descended from the sky, knocking Naruto to the ground and bashing Shepard in the chest, sending him soaring back out of sight. Harbinger walked up to the downed Naruto epbefore he could pick himself up and stomped on his head, smashing it further into the ground.

**"This vessel is merely a tool of your unmaking. Its destruction is irrelevant.****"**

Naruto felt the weight press harder as he struggled to remove it. His efforts were in vain; without sage mode he had no chance of removing his attacker. Despite this he he pressed on, grunting into the dirt as he tried to get free. He would not die, he would fight, he would find a way to crush this pathetic insect! He let his rage take over as he struggled, letting it fuel his drive to fight. Harbinger stood above him with his hand outstretched , forming another black biotic sphere.

_**'You are still weak. A vessel unworthy of my generosity. But I will take pity on you once more.'**_

Naruto's eyes widened as he heard a familiar voice inside his head. One he had thought he buried long ago.

_**'Let me out. I will destroy your enemies. Let me rip. Let me kill!'**_

_'No!'_ He screamed inside his head. _'You won't stop with this collector, you'll kill everyone!'_

_**'I feel your rage, your fear. You will surrender to me. You cannot win this without my power.'**_

_'I won't!'_

_**If you will not take my power willingly, then I will make you!'**_

Deep in his body he could feel the foul chakra being forced through his seal. He tried to suppress it, but couldn't gather his focus to do so.

_**'Give in...'**_

_'Never!'_ He nearly screamed.

_**'Give in!'**_

He would have lost that fight then and there, and the fox would have rampaged for the first time in seven years. But Horizon was spared thanks to the timely arrival of the last being Naruto would have expected to save him.

"I. Am. Krogan!" Grunt roared as he bashed Harbinger with all his might, sending the hapless vessel hurling into the wall. With the threat temporarily gone Naruto found the strength to focus on his seal and suppress the insidious chakra. He gasped as he felt the demonic chakra flow finally halt.

Naruto cautiously picked himself up from the ground as the rest of the squad formed around him and Grunt. Harbinger picked itself up from the ground and stared at the eight-man squad.

"Everyone, weapons at the ready!" Shepard ordered. Everyone picked up their favored weapon: shotgun, assault rifle, pistol, sniper rifle, and took aim at the last enemy on the field. "All at once, fire!"

The eight weapons sang in unison as they fired down range, their rounds tearing apart the barrier and smashing into the collector's plating. Harbinger staggered back against their unrelenting fire as its armor began to chip away. Finally the vessel could take no more and it disintegrated in a flash of golden light. The squad stopped firing as they watched the vessel begin to burn away.

**"This is not the conclusion. You have only delayed the inevitable.****"**

The collector ship's engine roared to life as it prepared for takeoff. The ship scarred the earth as it made its escape attempt as quickly as possible.

_"Commander, they're bugging out. Nearly half the colony is on board. You want us to pursue?" _Joker asked through the comm.

"Negative, let them go. We've done all we can for now." Shepard said. If the ship was active they'd have their defenses online. It was too dangerous to pursue it now.

"No!" Mordin's shout caught his attention. He turned to see the scattered collector and husk corpses vaporizing just like Harbinger, much to Mordin's disappointment. "Curses! Unable to collect samples! Highly disappointing."

Naruto walked over to the the hilt of his blade. It was all that remained of his favorite ninja tool. Naruto sighed as he stored the hilt on his belt while looking down at his battered armor. The chest plate was warped and torn, and needed replacing. Some of the cloth was torn and soaked in blood. The energy the fox forced into his body must have healed him. He took a deep calming breath as he tried to steady his emotions, just like he'd been taught.

Shepard walked over to Garrus, "Nice work with the towers."

"You expected anything less?"

"Of course not. You haven't lost your touch."

Garrus nodded, shifting his gaze past Shepard. He motioned for Shepard to do the same, "Well well, small galaxy."

Shepard turned to see Kaiden Alenko walking through the entryway, looking like he'd had an even tougher fight than they had. "Kaiden?" He asked as he made his way to meet his former squadmate.

Kaiden kept his gaze on the Commander, struggling to find the words. "Shepard? It that...really you?"

Shepard gave the man a small smile as he walked right up to the man and gave him a firm hug. "Kaiden, its been too long. Looks like you had as rough a fight as we did."

They broke apart after Kaiden returned the gesture, still trying to believe his eyes. "Yeah. But how? I saw you die on the Normandy. No one could've survived that, not even you, sir."

Shepard smirked, eyeing the insignia on the side of Kaiden's armor, "I don't think you should be calling me that anymore, Staff Commander. And it's a long story, too long for a quick reunion."

"I've heard." Kaiden said as he looked past Shepard at Miranda and Jacob, eyeing the symbol on their uniforms. "So it's true. There were rumors, you know, that you were alive and working with Cerberus. I never thought I'd see the day, Commander." He turns to look at the turian just behind Shepard. "You're with them too, Garrus?"

"Not them. Shepard. Don't you dare pair me with Cerberus." Garrus reprimanded him.

The Commander stiffened at his old friend's tone. "It's a complicated situation."

"I'm sure, or did you forget what they did. You remember those experiments on Binthu? Or your own squad being slaughtered on Akuze?"

"I haven't forgotten anything, Kaiden. But look at the situation here. I wouldn't be working with Cerberus if I had another choice. You know me!"

Kaiden looked apprehensive, but nodded. "Yeah, I do. But what about Councilor Anderson, or Admiral Hackett the Alliance? Why haven't you contacted anyone?"

Shepard let a bit of frustration out as he spoke, "I've tried, but all of my communications are flagged as Cerberus. None of my messages got through."

"So that's the reason you haven't come back? You couldn't contact anyone?" Shepard's nod made Kaiden pause for a moment to think. After a long silence Kaiden looked back up, "What if I set up a meeting with the council for you, so you could explain yourself? I'm still in contact with Anderson; as a Councilor he can grant your ship access into Citadel Space."

Shepard was looking slightly relieved when he reached out to shake Kaiden's hand. "I'd appreciate it. Thank you, Kaiden."

Kaiden took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "Don't worry about it. I owe you for everything, and for Ash's sake."

The name of the late Gunnery Chief sent daggers through the Commander's heart. He tried, but was unable to keep a straight face as he let go of Kaiden's hand. His former squadmate picked up on this and said no more of it.

"I've got to get things settled here with the survivors, but I'll message Councilor Anderson as soon as I can. Meet me at the Citadel in seven days time unless I contact you otherwise. I'm sure Anderson won't want you there any later."

Shepard nodded. "Thanks Kaiden."

Kaiden just shook his head, giving a small smile, "It's nothing Shepard." He turned to leave, but turned back after taking a few steps. He looked hesitant, but said, "It's good to know you're alive, Commander. Despite the, well...situation. You too, Garrus."

"You too, Kaiden. Take care." Shepard said in parting. Garrus gave a small grunt in response, nodding as he did. Kaiden cast one last appreciative look at his former Commander before making his way out of the facility.

As Kaiden left Miranda made her way beside the Commander. "Meeting with the Council could be dangerous. Cerberus agents are wanted by Citadel forces."

Shepard sighed, looking slightly annoyed. "Well I'm not Cerberus, and you and Jacob can stay aboard the Normandy during our stay."

"The Illusive Man is wary of the Council. They hindered more than helpled you on the hunt for Saren."

"Anderson's on the Council now, and I'm not turning away any help they can give. I still don't trust Cerberus. I need support that I know I can rely on."

Miranda hid her crossed expression well when Shepard spoke ill of her organization. But she said nothing more. This was a risky move, taking the Normandy to the Citadel. The Council may have it locked down, or even take it as their own. Shepard must know the risks, but apparently thought they were worth taking. And as she'd already agreed, he was the one in charge of the mission.

Shepard opened a comm channel to the Normandy. "Joker, we're heading back to the shuttle. Prepare for pickup. We've seen enough of this colony."

The rest of the squad formed up on the Commander and slowly began the long walk back through the colony.

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><p><strong>AN**

One more chapter and the first arc will officially be complete. That chapter should be up within a week.

I got a lot of support from fellow bronies, and to you all I would just like to say *brohoof*. It's been a lot of fun so far. I wrote a little something about MLP in celebration of the new year, called One Fine New Year's Eve. It's posted here and on Fimfiction, though I suggest the latter because the site has a better format. I'll post a link to my Fimfiction account in my profile. Happy New Year! :)

I got a lot of comments on me making chakra an isotope of element zero, some positive and others not. For a story like this it's necessary to explain how chakra can exist in Mass Effect. Here's my reasoning: from what I see, there are two types of crossovers that work. There are comedies, which can ignore the rules of both universes for laughs, and then there are more serious stories where the rules of both universes have to mix, otherwise it makes no sense. This is especially true for Mass Effect, which relies so heavily on its own rules. To simply say "They have chakra, NINJA STUFF!" invalidates all that work. One of the fun parts of Mass Effect has always been understanding the consistency of its own rules and how those rules work into the story. Being a part of this new larger universe, the Naruverse has to somehow mesh with these laws, and this is the explanation I came up with for the sake of the story. It bends the rules of both universes to make them work together, but it doesn't break them. There, now it's there for everyone to see.

And because I'm about to update my profile and want to keep this skit around in some form...skit time!

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><p><strong>Ni'Rala<strong>: HA! Stole the Admiral's environmental suit while he was in his bath. This thing is comfy! Oh, disease? You're worried about contamination from exposure? No worries, I never get sick.

**Tali**: *whisper* Idiots don't catch colds.

**Ni'Rala**: Hi Tali! You say something?

**Tali**: I said I need to catch some moles.

**Ni'Rala**: Huh. That's wierd. You're wierd. Your boyfriend's a Ninja. He's wierd too. You're all wierd.

**Tali**: You two seem to get along just fine. Unfortunately...*sigh*

**Ni'Rala**: I know! Well, back to the helm of the Qwib-Qwib! I'm gonna go impersonate the Admiral for a while! All power to the Qwib Qwib! All hands to battle stations! We gots Reapers ta kill! *trots away*

**Tali**: I rest my case. *look around* How'd I get on the Qwib Qwib anyways?

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><p>Wasn't that fun? No? Well too bad, you already read it suckers! So I guess this counts as Tali's first appearance in the story. But not really. Kinda sad, huh?<p>

That's all for now. Next chapter up within a week. Review as always, and I will see you all later.


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